Devote Yourself To Pray

She brings him good, not harm, all the days of her life. She selects wool and flax and works with eager hands.

Proverbs 31:12 – 13

And the prayer offered in faith will make the sick person well; the Lord will raise him up.  If he has sinned, he will be forgiven.  Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed.  The prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective.

Elijah was a man just like us.  He prayed earnestly that it would not rain, and it did not rain on the land for three and a half years.

James 5:15 -17

Dear Lord, thank You for promising to hear our prayers and raise up those who are sick.  Today, I bring before you all who battle various sicknesses and diseases. Send your healing today to those who are experiencing health challenges. Thank You for the blessed assurance that the prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective.  I stand on the righteousness of Christ.  It is through his sacrifice that I have the right to ask and believe that I will receive answers when I pray.  If prayers are powerful enough to heal the sick and control the rain, there’s nothing prayer cannot accomplish.  Holy Spirit, cleanse me of all unrighteousness so that, with Christ’s righteousness on me, I can pray with great power and effectiveness. Amen.

The Proverbs 31 woman worked with eager hands, but I believe she also understood that some work can only be accomplished on our knees.

Prayer is not just something we do.  Prayer is a mindset, an attitude, an atmosphere we create.  As we learn to cultivate the presence of God, walking moment by moment with a conscious awareness that we have a friend who sticks closer than a brother, a counselor who is always near, a teacher who is always speaking, then every waking hour becomes a prayer.

The purpose of prayer is to bring heaven’s power to bear on earth’s circumstances. We can literally invite heaven to invade earth, declaring to God the Father: “Your kingdom come, you will be done on earth as it is in heaven.”  Then prayer becomes the bridge that links heaven and earth.

As you spend time in prayer, each morning and throughout the day, take time to listen.  If you have your notebook handy, write down what you sense God is saying and focus your prayer effort accordingly. Too many of us have a one-sided approach to prayer. Our total focus is on what we say to God.   Let your prayers become a two-way conversation and see what a difference it makes. Pray can be the ultimate adventure.  Or it can be nothing more than a glorified gripe session.  The second approach will do you no earthly good: the first will bring down the power of God.   Which do you prefer?

Ask the Holy Spirit to teach you how to be prayerful, watchful, and thankful.  You’ll be amazed what a difference it makes in your life- and what a difference you begin to make in the lives of others.  God will use a woman of prayer to bring about much good in the world all the days of her life.

Affirmation: I devote myself to prayer, being watchful and thankful. Begin today with an attitude of prayer and watchfulness.  Then carry that with you throughout the day: being prayerful, watchful, and thankful.