Pray

This came to me with such conviction and fervency Tuesday morning, January 7, 2020, I saw it so clearly, that I have to share it with you.

Being a person of prayer, I take it very seriously, but sometimes I get the impression from the general consensus that prayer is something you do only in an emergency or in Church and that most people are intimidated by it because they either, were never taught to pray, or, they just don’t want to take the time to pray because they don’t understand. Please hear my heart.
Prayer is more than just saying poetic words, it’s more than bowing the head and folding the hands and thanking God for our daily bread. Although that is important. A prayer can be as simple as saying, “Thank you Jesus.” “Or Help me Lord.” But it can also be so much more…

Prayer is communion, talking and listening, with our loving heavenly father. When a person prays not just from their head, but from their heart, demons tremble…they quake and run for cover because the prayer warrior is in the presence of the living God. That prayer warrior is touching God’s heart and moving heaven and earth on behalf of the recipient for the request. They are storming the throne-room of heaven knowing by faith that God is listening and will respond, by giving the Holy Spirit permission to act and deliver God’s mercy and grace on our behalf.

You don’t have to be afraid to talk to God…he loves us so much and longs to have conversations with his kids…Jesus came to be our dearest friend and savior an intermediary between us and God. Jesus talked to his father daily and he wants us to have that one on one relationship with him too.

God will dispatch his Holy Angels to come to our aid, so that, the angels are free to fight on our behalf because, the prayer warrior, has proclaimed victory over defeat…freedom from sin and death…diseases will dry up…hearts are given freedom… and life is made whole. Governments surrender to the angel armies in the spiritual realm and in the natural realm, and peace settles in all realms…you may not see it but in the spiritual realm the enemy is slain and earth is safer because the prayer warrior is praying…YOU are the prayer warrior…you are the one the Holy Spirit is compelling to pray…pray means to ask…Jesus said, Ask and you will receive…

The fervent prayers of the saints hold back disasters…restore marriages…destroy strongholds of addictions, perversions, murder, lies, and give hope to the dying. God’s ears are open and his heart responds…when we pray. We pray with expectation but whether we get an immediate answer or not we trust in the one we are praying to. He’s not just wind in the sky…He’s not a fantasy or a wish…He’s not a tyrant or dictator…God is love. He’s not sitting on his throne with a whip in his hand yelling and screaming for you to obey him…He gives us a choice…he’s kind and gentle and so very patient…he extends mercy after mercy and without his grace…we’d all be sent straight to hell because of our wickedness…but God, made a way through Jesus’ shed blood, so that we are forgiven and when we come humbly before him to pray…God’s heart is full of love and devotion for us…

Never take prayer for granted or think of it as “just prayer, speaking into the wind.”
Abraham and Moses were men of prayer you know them, right? They’re pretty important men of the Bible… they changed their history by praying.

Hannah prayed with fervency and humility and God answered and gave her a son, Samuel. You remember him, don’t you? Samuel was not a wimp, he walked and talked with God every day, he was a great judge over Israel and God honored and loved him.

And there’s David, shepherd boy to Warrior King of Israel. David’s prayers were filled with praise to the LORD, he was a powerful man of prayer, the apple of God’s eye.
Hezekiah he was the 13th king of Judah…he prayed with right motives always concerned for God’s name and glory.

And one of the most consistent prayer warriors of all time is Daniel… even while in captivity he prayed three times a day with his windows open not hidden away but bold and courageous…and God and king honored him…(Daniel 6:10) the Lions wouldn’t even eat him because they knew Daniel belonged to God…their creator…

When you pray you are in the presence of kings…and prophets…and shepherd’s and disciples…and men and women and children of prayer. The angels stop and listen when you pray amazed by your loyalty and proclamations.

A prayer warrior is a person who perseveres, is committed, has endurance, hope, humility, long-suffering, is patient, with goodness, self-control, determination, is bold, courageous and prays in faith. A prayer warrior does not give in to self-doubt and is not self-seeking. They are fearless knowing the one they pray to will answer and fight for them.
Pray before a decision is made, before a task is taken, before the challenge comes, the prayer warrior prays…and knows the one they are praying to in an intimate and loving atmosphere, where devils cannot tread…

Praying is meeting with God the Father, Jesus the son and the gracious Holy Spirit…knowing that they, themselves, have no power to change anything but knowing without a doubt the one they are praying too has the power to change everything…and even if our prayers are not answered in the time frame or the way we think they should be answered…prayer warriors trust that no matter what the outcome, God knows and sees the bigger picture and works it all out for our good!

Why pray, you ask? Or you may say, “I prayed but God didn’t come through for me…the sickness wasn’t cured, my loved one died anyway, my life fell apart, my son/daughter still isn’t saved, all hope is gone, there are still wars and famine and cruelty in the world…”
That’s all the more reason to, pray. Jesus said there will be trouble in the world but take heart for He has overcome the world.

From generation to generation we’ve seen these things over and over again…people live and die and life goes on…but there is a reason for it all…and without the prayer warrior…things would be so much worse…God tells us to pray…he has a plan…and we are all part of His plan…
Don’t stop praying, pray harder, pray longer, pray louder, pray softer but people of God…PRAY! Pray as never before…it’s time to take up the prayer gauntlet and shout if you have to, be determined that nothing will keep you from your time with the one who is Alive and well in heaven and in earth… Some people are called to preach, some to teach, there are many ministries and all these things are needful, but we are ALL called to pray! Pray without ceasing.
Find your own way of praying…there is no set rule…but pray…ask, seek and knock on heavens door until it is opened…and I promise you…God will meet you there!!

Prayer Warrior you are not alone…you are not insignificant…you are not a dying breed…Jesus has ten thousand in reserve who will not give up or give in or stop storming the gates of heaven…because we know who it is we are talking too and he knows us…AMEN? Yes Amen!

God is not too busy…God loves it when we come to him. Find a solitary place, take the time, to be with your Holy Father God and pray! Talk to him.

~Marla Shaw O’Neill, completed, January 9, 2020

1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 English Standard Version (ESV)
Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.

John 17:20-26 New International Version (NIV) Jesus Prays for All Believers
“My prayer is not for them alone. I pray also for those who will believe in me through their message, that 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. I have given them the glory that you gave me, that they may be one as we are one—I in them and you in me—so that they may be brought to complete unity. Then the world will know that you sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me.

“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.
“Righteous Father, though the world does not know you, I know you, and they know that you have sent me. I have made you[a] 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.”