Samuel Chadwick- God answers joyously. There is a ring of exultation in the words He speaks to Ananias, like the joyous ring of our Lord's parables of the Lost Sheep, the Lost Coin, and the Lost Son.
Rejoice with me! "Behold, he prayeth!" There is joy in the heart of God the Father when His lost children begin to pray. He answers like the God He is. (Google image, The obedience of Ananias)
Ananias may parley with God, but God never parleys with man. The answering hand of God waits for the lifted hand of man, and the heart that answers always transcends the heart that cries.
The answer to Saul of Tarsus was twofold: God gave Saul a vision and sent a messenger—a vision and a man, each corresponding to the other. That is God's way: first an assurance and then the confirmation.
That is the mystery of spiritual co-operation! The Lord goes before the man He sends. Saul was prepared and waiting for the man he had already seen in a vision of God! Ananias found Saul prepared and waiting.
God gave Ananias the sign of prayer as the proof of grace. It was His own sign, and it is the sign He still gives! Is there any proof that a man is a man of God like the fact that he is a man of prayer?
Of Elijah it is said that he "prayed in his prayer" (James 5:17, A. V. margin). Of some men it is said that they live in an atmosphere of devotion; but it is one thing to live in an atmosphere of prayer and another to "pray in our praying."
Finney went to a weekly prayer meeting where they prayed much and got no answers. Muller prayed and answers came, and that is why all men believed him to be a man of God.
When I was a very small boy, not more than six or seven years of age, I was sent on an errand to the house of a neighbor named Davenport; it was about nine o'clock in the morning. I knocked, lifted the latch, and stepped inside.
On the hearth, kneeling at a chair on which was an open Bible, was Mrs. Davenport, praying. She was unaware of my presence. I stood in silent awe for a moment, and then quietly stepped out and closed the door.
It is more than sixty years since that morning, but from then till now I have known that Mrs. Davenport was a saint of God—because she prayed. It is God's infallible sign, and it is the only sign that even the world accepts as an infallible proof.
Prayer made all the difference to Saul of Tarsus, and it always makes all the difference. It brought a new assurance of God, a new confirmation of faith, a new fellowship of the people of God, a new experience of healing, a new vocation, a new inheritance, a new power.
Prayer changes things. Prayer makes all things possible, for it links the praying soul to the omnipotence of God. Do we pray? Do we pray in our praying? Does God put His seal on our prayers?
Lord, teach us to pray!
Prayer is the contrite sinner's voice
Returning from his ways,
While angels in their songs rejoice,
And cry, Behold he prays.
Prayer is the Christian's vital breath,
The Christian's native air,
His watchword at the gates of death,
He enters heaven with prayer.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Used by the permission of
(Emphasis by Jean)
Let's pray-
Father, may our prayers reflect our heart's desire, as You check to see if we're being honest in our praying for Your will to be done.
It is our great need to pray, believing that what You reveal to us is what we're to believe and do. May we then have confirmation when we act according to what You've told us.
Just as Mr. Chadwick knew that Mrs. Davenport was a Christian by seeing her on her knees, praying, I knew my brother was one, too, when I saw him praying one day.
As it pleases You to see us praying, may it be true that each of us will spend time praying each day. When You see someone praying, You rejoice, as it opens Your heart to them, as they seek Your will for them and others they're concerned for.
The truth is, prayer changes things and people. Prayer makes all things possible, for it links the praying soul to Your omnipotence. Help us pray in our praying! May You put Your seal on our prayers!
I the name of Jesus, we ask this. Amen.
It is our great need to pray, believing that what You reveal to us is what we're to believe and do. May we then have confirmation when we act according to what You've told us.
Just as Mr. Chadwick knew that Mrs. Davenport was a Christian by seeing her on her knees, praying, I knew my brother was one, too, when I saw him praying one day.
As it pleases You to see us praying, may it be true that each of us will spend time praying each day. When You see someone praying, You rejoice, as it opens Your heart to them, as they seek Your will for them and others they're concerned for.
The truth is, prayer changes things and people. Prayer makes all things possible, for it links the praying soul to Your omnipotence. Help us pray in our praying! May You put Your seal on our prayers!
I the name of Jesus, we ask this. Amen.
A previous post on prayer:
I Prayed that God would Take Away
I Prayed that God would Take Away
"I prayed that God would take away
The pain that I was in
And then I prayed that He would also
Take away my sin . . . "
And then I prayed that He would also
Take away my sin . . . "
Today's Bible verses-
Is. 40:10 (NKJV) "Behold, the Lord God shall come
with a strong hand. And His arm shall rule for Him.
Behold, His reward is with Him. And His
work before Him."
Ps. 116:1, 2) (NKJV) "I love the LORD, because He
has heard my voice and my supplications.
(v.2) Because He has inclined His ear to me, therefore
I will call upon Him as long as I live."
Ps. 5:11, 12 (NKJV) "But let all those rejoice who
put their trust in You; Let them ever shout for joy,
because You defend them: Let those also who love
Your name be joyful in You.
(v. 12) For You, O LORD, will bless the righteous;
with favor You will surround him as with a shield."
My personal testimony- I [Jean] was visiting my brother one time, many years ago, when in the morning, as I past by his open bedroom door, he was kneeling beside his bed, praying. That image has been with me all my life, and has made me aware of his value of prayer, which gave prayer value to me in return.
Is. 40:10 (NKJV) "Behold, the Lord God shall come
with a strong hand. And His arm shall rule for Him.
Behold, His reward is with Him. And His
work before Him."
Ps. 116:1, 2) (NKJV) "I love the LORD, because He
has heard my voice and my supplications.
(v.2) Because He has inclined His ear to me, therefore
I will call upon Him as long as I live."
Ps. 5:11, 12 (NKJV) "But let all those rejoice who
put their trust in You; Let them ever shout for joy,
because You defend them: Let those also who love
Your name be joyful in You.
(v. 12) For You, O LORD, will bless the righteous;
with favor You will surround him as with a shield."
My personal testimony- I [Jean] was visiting my brother one time, many years ago, when in the morning, as I past by his open bedroom door, he was kneeling beside his bed, praying. That image has been with me all my life, and has made me aware of his value of prayer, which gave prayer value to me in return.
~ Jonathan Falwell- "Often, the church bemoans the condition of our culture and its radical departure from Biblical truth. We rail against society that has cast aside the Biblical admonition to live in the constant pursuit of holiness. Yet the greatest possibility we have of turning our culture back to God is not found in words of attack and condemnation but rather in cries from our heart to a holy God in desperate times of prayer. It is high time we take prayer seriously and cry out to God for revival.
When the church, and its members, believe in the real power of prayer, change will be inevitable. We must return to the days of gathering together for no other purpose than to cry out to God for revival. Our churches must focus more on being known as 'houses of prayer' than being known for our activities, events or personalities.
If we want to change our world, let us gather together in unity, with heavy hearts, praying in Jesus' Name. Let us change our culture, not through our social media posts, but from getting on our knees before God."
[Taken from Franklin Graham's DECISION magazine, January 2018, p. 27]
Today's sermon spotlight-
JANUARY 6, 2019
21 Days of Prayer
Speaker: Ben Levendusky . Series: 21 Days of Prayer Topic: CFC Madrid
Upcoming posts-
#4 Learning to Pray
17th- Thursday's post by Samuel Chadwick
Christ Invites Us to Draw Near
19th- Saturday's post by Rick Carmichael
#5 Personality in Prayer
22nd- Tuesday's post by Samuel Chadwick
#6 Prayer Learned by Praying
24th- Thursday's post by Samuel Chadwick
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