Our Bible Cafe™ study on God’s Promises in the Bible is off to a great beginning! The small groups Prayers and Promises Bible study are full of women and the study book is at the top of the Amazon bestseller list this week. It’s amazing to see the interest in this topical Bible study. I’d like to thank our volunteer leaders for their generous commitment of time. They show up each week to facilitate your small group discussions.
This week in as we study God’s Promises in the Bible we are discussing chapters 1 and 2 from the workbook. And so we’re learning The Dynamics of Prayer and Prayers of an Awakened Heart.
Something that stood out to me as read these chapters was the lesson about how Solomon prayed. He was unselfish in his prayers and considered others before himself. Knowing this king had 700 wives, gave me a different perspective on his lifestyle. Did Solomon pray for each wife by name?
I also liked the lesson that we can pray a confession for someone else. The author reminds us that person does not need to be right with God when we pray for them.
We saw how Abram prayed a confession for his nephew Lot. It makes me think that we too can pray confessions. Let’s START with our own confessions and a pure heart. Then pray for the lost.
The benefit of praying confessions is a closeness to God’s heart!! Say YES if you want more of that!!
The benefit of intercessory prayer is evidenced by Jesus
But, the beneficiary of the prayer must ACT and GET UP. She has to pick up her mat, or change her lifestyle, or stop her addictions. God is not a magic genie giving her three wishes. He is a holy God.
It’s important to balance boldness and respect for God during your prayers. Because I have a relationship with God, through Jesus and the Holy Spirit, I pray without guilt or shame. So when the Spirit nudges me to boldness, I do that. When He directs me to praise and reverence, I do that. My heart’s desire is to be respectful of the Trinity and helpful to the hurting.
Yet, God’s silence can also be an answer to prayer. We need to think of silence from an earlier generation. Because today, silence can mean so many things. Social media has trained us to NOT experience silence.
What if we choose to be SILENT after an offense? I have done this many times.
What if we choose to be SILENT and wait for the Holy Spirit to “speak” on our behalf? I have done this many times too.
If we are NOT silent, we give attention to the enemy of God. So we keep quiet and tell the devil to get behind us. Jesus showed this as He did not speak parables or lectures to satan. He gave the devil LITTLE attention and focused on the Father.
Knowing God already has an answer for prayer, think about how might this change the way that you pray. I love the image of the prayer bowls in the Book of Revelation. It reminds me that every prayer is heard by God. And no prayer bowl is too big for Him.
“Then another angel, having a golden censer, came and stood at the altar. He was given much incense, that he should offer it with the prayers of all the saints upon the golden alter which was before the throne. And the smoke of the incense, with the prayers of the saints, ascended before God from the angel’s hand. Then the angel took the censer, filled it with fire from the altar, and threw it to the earth. And there were noises, thunderings, lightnings, and an earthquake.” Revelation 8:3-5 (NKJV)
God is pleased to have your prayers before Him day and night. What keeps you from making prayer an everyday experience?
I am a visual person, so having my prayers written down is a reminder of what is on my heart. I shared my three different prayer methods with my Bible Cafe™ group. 1) prayer box 2) prayer journal and 3) digital prayer journal. These simple methods keep me focused.
For me, prayer is a never-ending conversation, just like the Bride and Groom of the New Testament. -Christine Abraham
Soul-healing is found in quiet times with the Father. Looking ahead at your week, when are you available for time with Him?
I prefer mornings with my hot coffee. Although with these power outages, I am discovering that I appreciate printed Bibles more than digital because I need to save my battery for evacuation alerts. God has been teaching me to use “paper” over digital. But with digital Bibles, I can save, copy and paste a favorite verse. I know in people who will never miss a Thursday TV show or an NFL event. We can have the same commitment to God…spending time with Him.
You can access the entire Prayers and Promises of the Bible course on-demand at Bible Cafe™ University.
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Christine Abraham writes for the Bible Cafe™ community. Learn about living by the Fruit of the Spirit as you enjoy her online Bible studies. Join Christine at the Bible Cafe™ University for weekly Bible teaching.
