Pressing In

Over the last month the Lord has brought about study, conversations, books and sermons on prayer. It may seem superstitious for some, but as I have watched my relationship with the Lord unfold, I am more confident than ever that He has the power to manage this world on His own, yet would love for me to join Him. He doesn't need me, He is sovereign, the Beginning and the End, The Creator, The Ancient of Days, The Redeemer, The Holy One. Scripture shows over and over that He created us for the purpose of relationship. In spite of His ability to control, He chooses not to. He chooses to give us choice. He wants the relationship to be our hearts responding to His, in a fine balance of His calling and our acceptance.

This all started with circumstances in my life that have required a lot of prayer. As I have searched the scriptures I have found more scripture than I can represent on this blog. It must be important to God for us to understand what He thinks about prayer!

Some of the scriptures that spoke deeply to my heart are:

2 Chronicles 7:14
14 if my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and will heal their land.

Isaiah 65:24
24 Before they call I will answer; while they are still speaking I will hear.

Daniel 9:20-23
20 While I was speaking and praying, confessing my sin and the sin of my people Israel and making my request to the LORD my God for his holy hill- 21 while I was still in prayer, Gabriel, the man I had seen in the earlier vision, came to me in swift flight about the time of the evening sacrifice. 22 He instructed me and said to me, "Daniel, I have now come to give you insight and understanding. 23 As soon as you began to pray, an answer was given, which I have come to tell you, for you are highly esteemed. Therefore, consider the message and understand the vision:

Daniel 10:12 12 Then he continued, "Do not be afraid, Daniel. Since the first day that you set your mind to gain understanding and to humble yourself before your God, your words were heard, and I have come in response to them.

Matthew 6:9-13
9"This, then, is how you should pray: " 'Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name, 10your kingdom come, your will be done on earth as it is in heaven. 11Give us today our daily bread. 12Forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. 13And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one.

Luke 22:40
40On reaching the place, he said to them, "Pray that you will not fall into temptation."

John 17
20"My prayer is not for them alone. I pray also for those who will believe in me through their message, 21that all of them may be one, Father, just as you are in me and I am in you. May they also be in us so that the world may believe that you have sent me. 22I have given them the glory that you gave me, that they may be one as we are one: 23I in them and you in me. May they be brought to complete unity to let the world know that you sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me. 24"Father, I want those you have given me to be with me where I am, and to see my glory, the glory you have given me because you loved me before the creation of the world. 25"Righteous Father, though the world does not know you, I know you, and they know that you have sent me. 26I have made you known to them, and will continue to make you known in order that the love you have for me may be in them and that I myself may be in them."

Acts 1:4-5, 8
4On one occasion, while he was eating with them, he gave them this command: "Do not leave Jerusalem, but wait for the gift my Father promised, which you have heard me speak about. 5For John baptized with water, but in a few days you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit." 8But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth."

Acts 1:12-14
12Then they returned to Jerusalem from the hill called the Mount of Olives, a Sabbath day's walk from the city. 13When they arrived, they went upstairs to the room where they were staying. Those present were Peter, John, James and Andrew; Philip and Thomas, Bartholomew and Matthew; James son of Alphaeus and Simon the Zealot, and Judas son of James. 14They all joined together constantly in prayer, along with the women and Mary the mother of Jesus, and with his brothers.

Romans 8:25-27
25But if we hope for what we do not yet have, we wait for it patiently. 26In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groans that words cannot express. 27And he who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints in accordance with God's will.

Ephesians 6:18
18And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the saints.

These scriptures touched my heart for various reasons. I look at the landscape of this time, this season of America and I am not sure our children will enjoy the bounty that we have enjoyed. Being a home schooling mom, I am honestly internalizing some parts of their education for the first time. Last year we studied ancient history and I was appalled at how kingdom after kingdom and culture after culture was founded on the backs of sacrificial people who risked their lives for the good of the whole. The magnificent thing about that was that was the standard of the people groups for that time. Those who were mostly self serving were the few. As the culture developed, generations began to enjoy the fruits of the ancestor's labor. Time after time, when each society was at its peak, enjoying leisure and prosperity self centered behaviors became the norm. Soon after, each kingdom fell.

I know there are more books written on prayer than I could read in a year. The above scripture says that our prayers have the ability to affect change. I believe that born again Christians are viceroys of God on Earth. That He has a perfect will. We can be involved, by influencing the Spiritual Realm in the power of the Spirit; and by the blood of Christ, through faith and prayer. He says that we are His inheritance. We are children of a heavenly kingdom. We have the power to do all the miracles He did while here on this Earth and more.

My flesh wants to pray for America's future and our children's lifestyles. Moreover, my heart is growing increasingly heavy for the people of America. I am feeling burdened for our response to the sifting that will come. That hearts will turn to the One of Truth. That Christians and the following generations will rise up, demonstrate the mercy and love of Christ inspite of circumstances. We must press in to the Lord in prayer. We must not forget what a powerful tool we have in the Word and use it as we pray back the Truth to our Father. We must look at this world with eyes of faith, asking the Lord to see it as He does. We must train up our kids to digest the meat of the Word. They are more ready than we think. I watch our kids hang on every word as we study The Bible together. I am in awe at how much further along their walk of intimacy with God than I was at 30!

I leave you with this last scripture. I can't believe you have hung in with me this long... I share this because scripture says the Lord will return to a bride who is radiant. We must be discerning to know the scriptures so we will be radiant and not lead astray!

2 Thessalonians 2
1Concerning the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our being gathered to him, we ask you, brothers, 2not to become easily unsettled or alarmed by some prophecy, report or letter supposed to have come from us, saying that the day of the Lord has already come. 3Don't let anyone deceive you in any way, for (that day will not come) until the rebellion occurs and the man of lawlessness is revealed, the man doomed to destruction. 4He will oppose and will exalt himself over everything that is called God or is worshiped, so that he sets himself up in God's temple, proclaiming himself to be God.
5Don't you remember that when I was with you I used to tell you these things? 6And now you know what is holding him back, so that he may be revealed at the proper time. 7For the secret power of lawlessness is already at work; but the one who now holds it back will continue to do so till he is taken out of the way. 8And then the lawless one will be revealed, whom the Lord Jesus will overthrow with the breath of his mouth and destroy by the splendor of his coming. 9The coming of the lawless one will be in accordance with the work of Satan displayed in all kinds of counterfeit miracles, signs and wonders, 10and in every sort of evil that deceives those who are perishing. They perish because they refused to love the truth and so be saved. 11For this reason God sends them a powerful delusion so that they will believe the lie 12and so that all will be condemned who have not believed the truth but have delighted in wickedness. 13But we ought always to thank God for you, brothers loved by the Lord, because from the beginning God chose you to be saved through the sanctifying work of the Spirit and through belief in the truth. 14He called you to this through our gospel, that you might share in the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ. 15So then, brothers, stand firm and hold to the teachings we passed on to you, whether by word of mouth or by letter. 16May our Lord Jesus Christ himself and God our Father, who loved us and by his grace gave us eternal encouragement and good hope, 17encourage your hearts and strengthen you in every good deed and word.