Bro. Eddie Ministries Reading Plan: The Word Gives HopeHalimbawa

Prayer that works

When we pray, men listen to our words. But God listens to our hearts. Words are vain if our heart is not in the words that we utter. Words alone will not make sense before God. For God who is in heaven reads our heart and mind, and He knows exactly what our motives are when we pray to Him.

Prayer is the way through which we can talk to God. But it does not need to be long or flowery. In fact there were short prayers recorded in the Bible that made an impact in the world. Who would ever forget the prayer of Jesus while He was hanged on the cross?

“Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do.” (Luke 23:34)

It tells a lot about how much God had loved humanity. It tells what God was willing to do to redeem the people from their sins. It tells that Jesus would not want His death to be held against His accusers. For His death will soon give life to all men. His prayer tells us that He took our place. That He paid for the sins that we, and our fathers, did.

Do we know that the same Jesus who prayed that short prayer tells us to be straight in our prayers? He said, “And when you pray, do not use vain repetitions as the heathen do. For they think that they will be heard for their many words.” (Matthew 6:7)

Our prayers should be done in faith. Otherwise it is not a prayer but just a wish.

Elijah prayed a prayer that showed his faith in God. “Hear me, O Lord, hear me, that these people may know that
You are the Lord God, and that You have turned their hearts back to You again.” (1 Kings 18:37)

Israel has turned to idols. King Ahab and Queen Jezebel gave a boost to it. They set up Baal worship in all Israel, causing the nation to turn away from God. They even have their own set of prophets. And they knew nothing about what God has to say to His people.

God charged Elijah to face those false prophets. They met at the Mount Carmel for a duel. This time, God will show them who He is. So Elijah came up with a test.

Elijah challenged the prophets of Baal. If they could call on Baal and all their other gods, and if Baal could burn the sacrifice they placed on their altar, then they could tell that Baal is truly God.

But Elijah continued that if he calls on his God and He answers him, and burns the sacrifice he placed on the Lord’s altar, then they must know that the God on whom he has called is the one and only True God. And to make his challenge tougher, he asked them to pour so much water on the Lord’s altar, which he repaired.

The prophets of Baal prayed for long hours. But there was no god that answered them. They even wounded some parts of their bodies but not a single fire came down to burn their sacrifice.

The fire then stands for God’s power and His approval of the sacrifice being offered to Him. And at last it was Elijah’s turn. He was confident that His God would hear him. So he prayed. And the Lord answered!

“Then the fire of the Lord fell and consumed the burnt sacrifice, and the wood and the stones and the dust, and it licked up the water that was in the trench.” (1 Kings 18:38)

Elijah was so sure of what God was about to do. He dared to believe. He knew God would use the incident to turn the people’s hearts back to Him. For God would likewise perform what Elijah asked of Him. That is because he believed Him.
The things that God tells us to believe are the same things that He promises He would give us. Then why fail to trust Him? It is never worthless to trust God. (Psalm 34:8)

Reflection:
1. Why do people utter long prayers?
2. If you will recall a prayer that you uttered before God long ago, which today remains unanswered, what is it? What made you stop praying about it? Why should you need to keep praying about it?

When we pray, let us do it straight and trust that God will answer.