Five Purposes of Prayerናሙና

Day 3 – Divine Direction

Another great benefit of prayer is getting divine direction. If God speaks to us through prayer, obviously, one of the ways He gives divine direction is through it. That is why I believe that no matter the situation you’re facing, hearing God on what to do changes everything.

Let’s look at two instances in the Bible when God spoke through prayer: one in the Old Testament and one in the New Testament.

There was a famine during some time in the lifetime of Isaac. And since his father, Abraham, moved to Egypt when a similar thing happened to him, Isaac thought it wise to do the same. But the Lord appeared to Him and said,

[2] “Do not go down to Egypt; live in the land of which I shall tell you. [3] Dwell in this land, and I will be with you and bless you; for to you and your descendants I give all these lands, and I will perform the oath which I swore to Abraham your father. [4] And I will make your descendants multiply as the stars of heaven; I will give to your descendants all these lands; and in your seed all the nations of the earth shall be blessed; [5] because Abraham obeyed My voice and kept My charge, My commandments, My statutes, and My laws.” – Genesis 26:2-5 (NKJV)

Look at that! God defied the rational decision of Isaac to tackle famine. And to His glory, Isaac sowed in that same land (Gerar) where God told Him to stay and reaped a hundredfold harvest (see Genesis 26:12). This clearly shows that hearing God helps you to get divine direction for your life.

Also, in Acts 13:2, the Holy Spirit spoke directly to the church elders to separate Paul and Barnabas to preach the gospel to the Gentiles. But before He spoke, they were fasting and praying.

Now, with all these points clearly explained, it’s clear that getting divine direction for your life is dependent on hearing God’s Word for your life and obeying it. Never settle for less when God has called you to stand out.