THE POWER OF PRAYER
“And when thou prayest, thou shalt not be as the hypocrites are: for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and in the corners of the streets, that they may be seen of men. Verily I say unto you, They have their reward.”
“But thou, when thou prayest, enter into thy closet, and when thou has shut thy door, pray to thy Father which is in secret; and thy Father which seeth in secret shall reward thee openly.” Matthew 6:5-6
For the Believer to have a living active faith, there must be daily intercourse with the heavenly Father. The mind and heart may be drawn toward Him, or reflect upon His works, His mercies and His blessings, but this is not in the fullest sense communing with Yahweh. Fully communing with Him is talking with Him about daily concerns or needs, and then being still long enough to listen for His guidance and direction.
Prayer is opening our heart to the heart of Yahweh, as we would share intimately with a spouse or a close friend. Prayer does not bring Elohim down to man, but elevates man to a spiritual level, whereby he has his spirit opened to understand the will of Yahweh.
Yahweh speaks to His children in many ways: by the influence of His Spirit, His Holy [Kodesh] Word, through brethren who are moved in Gifts of the Spirit to speak a word from Yahweh, and He can even speak to us through his creation at times. To receive answers to prayer, for personal needs or for a brother in the BODY of the Messiah, requires a hearing heart. Our ability to hear becomes stronger through repeated fellowship and communion with the Heavenly Father. His sheep know the voice of their Shepherd (John 10).
Those who have earnestly sought to develop a prayer life know the discipline, faithfulness and perseverance that are required. Yahshua taught the first twelve disciples how to pray. If the disciples, who saw Yahshua face-to-face daily, saw the miracles, and heard the Kingdom Message first hand, had to be taught how to talk with their Heavenly Father, how much more you and I need the instruction of our Master – Yahshua.
Yahshua assured the disciples that Yahweh cared about their needs, and that He would not only hear but would answer their petitions and prayers. We can approach Yahweh with this same confidence, knowing that our Father is merciful and it is His good pleasure to give us the Kingdom.
Yahshua set the example for us; he did nothing without seeking his Father in prayer. He often withdrew from the crowds to spend all night talking to his Father. The selection of the twelve disciples occurred immediately following an all-night prayer session.
Yahshua identified with each Believer in his needs and human weakness, by demonstrating that each of us needs a daily supply of strength and faith to overcome the flesh, the world and the devil. Just because we prayed yesterday, or even today, does not mean that we are equipped to handle the tests of tomorrow….
If the Son of Yahweh, who was without sin, recognized that in the flesh He needed Yahweh’s enabling power and strength, and He sought it with strong crying and tears; ought not we mortals saved by grace, recognize our great need for the power of Yahweh’s Spirit….
A sign of great faith is a man’s prayer life. Those who believe Yahweh hears, cares, and answers prayer, spend much time in their secret closet.
Clemul Daulton