Jeanne Stewart, Oklahoma
For His Name’s Sake
Have
you ever cried with your children over a disappointment or trial they were
walking through? Even though it may have been an error or failure on their
part, you did not want to judge them harshly or condemn them for the mistake
they had made. So you cried with them, feeling their pain as they emptied
themselves in heartfelt emotion with tears and confession. At that moment in
time your tears washed over them in loving acceptance because these are your
children whom you love and they were willing to stand up and try again. The
fact they did not give up makes you so proud of their decision of hope. For ‘…hope deferred makes the heart sick, but
when the desire comes, it is a tree of life.’ (Proverbs 13:12) Our Father God deals with
us in a similar manner, weeping over us as He turns our failures into victories
by the washing of His word over us, He declares, ‘…when you pray…’ (Matthew 6:5). God
speaks of our way of communication with Him as Spirit to spirit. Prayer honors
His name as we accept the truth. We are joint heirs with Christ Jesus and as
part of our authority in Him we have the power of answered prayers.
Charles G. Finney once said, ‘Effective prayer is prayer that attains
what it seeks.’ James
God has given us the design for prayer within
2 Chronicles 7:14; ‘If
My people who are called by My name will humble themselves, and pray and seek My
face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and will
forgive their sin and heal their land.’ The word ‘if’ in this verse speaks of a
stipulation, a condition, or a qualification, meaning something we have to do, something we choose to accept. The phrase, ‘My people who are called by My name’ is the Hebrew phrase, ‘call the name over’, indicating
ownership. We as believers are God’s chosen because we acknowledge His Word as
all truth. In humbling ourselves we have
surrendered our will to His perfect steadfastness in asking for His help. Then
we make the effort to converse with our God as heavenly Father without hiding
our face from His attention toward us. ‘Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we
may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need’ (Hebrews
4:16) We focus on His authority as all power, and turning from our wicked ways,
we have a heart turned completely toward our God in true repentance of anything
and everything that is not of Him. When we meet all that God asks of us in His
design for prayer, the atmosphere between us becomes acceptable. For His name’s
sake He hears our heartfelt words and forgives the uncertainties of sin that
keep us from receiving His unconditional love. Answers are promised to us as we
believe His word will accomplish His will, whether it is for healing,
provision, guidance, or deliverance.
Let us have hope enough to visualize the
victories in prayer, ‘…but
we also glory in tribulations, knowing that tribulation produces perseverance;
and perseverance, character; and character, hope.’
(Romans 5:3-4) It is in hope and
confidence in our Lord Jesus as the Healer, Provider and Deliverer that we keep
watch during prayer. We look ahead by faith to see that the answers are ‘yes and amen.’ Realize that effective prayer is actually
a form of giving, requiring our time which is of great importance and worth. We
do not pray with condemning words, but we influence lives with genuine words
spoken, interceding on behalf of others.
Will we lift up our voices like a trumpet in prayer to enforce God’s will on earth for His name’s sake? He answers when we simply ask believing, so let us train our spirit to pray. Then in quiet times the Holy Spirit will prompt us to pray as often as necessary as we yield to Him. It will be the natural thing to do, for ‘…the steps of the godly are directed by the Lord. He delights in every detail of their lives.’ (Psalm 37:23 NLT)
