Mountain top experiences are
awesome. We are joyful, loving, and not
only can we see, but we feel Jesus everywhere!
No one can say or do anything that would make us question His love and
goodness towards us. It would be awesome
to live in that place; but we can't always have a mountain top experience. We have to walk in the valleys to appreciate
our mountain tops. Valley experiences
are not fun. Sometimes it feels like
your face is stuck in the dirt in the deepest part of that valley and it
doesn't matter how hard you try, you can't get up. Oftentimes it is that valley experience that
we figure out who we really are, what we are made of and more importantly, who
Christ is. We have to find Him for
ourselves in the valley seasons. We have
to put in our time building relationship with Him. It is this building and strengthening of our
relationship with Him that we come out of that valley.
We have all been in that spot
where we can't feel Him. We have prayed seemingly fruitless prayers. We questioned if we missed it, or if we've
done something wrong, if we were in the right place but didn't recognize
it. Maybe we question if we've heard Him
properly. If you are in this low spot,
I've got great news!! You determine how
long you are in your valley and this, my friend, is the greatest character
building, endurance training, and faith magnifying thing you may ever do! The beautiful thing is you can do it. You know why?
Because you can!
You Need Prayer
Absolutely seek prayer from
trusted praying individuals because where two or more are gathered.....not just
prayer as a form of communication and relationship building but prayers that
declare who He is. Job 22:28 says you
will decree a thing and it will be established for you. When you speak out, you are battling the lies
of the enemy. Pray His word!
God considers our prayers a
sacrifice ascending to him in faith and devotion. In Acts 10:4 the angel of the Lord tells
Cornelius that his prayers have come up as a memorial offering before God. He wants us to come to Him. He wants us to confide in Him and cry on His
shoulder and tell Him our struggles.
Psalm 142:2 says I pour out my complaint before Him; before Him I tell
my trouble.
Devote Yourself to Prayer
Life comes at us with many
obstacles, road blocks and detours.
Satan and the weakness of our human nature will try to cause us to
neglect prayer itself or to become distracted while praying. As the New Testament Christians devoted
themselves to prayer, devote yourself to prayer (Acts 2:42). They understood that God's kingdom could not
be manifested in its full power with only a few minutes of prayer a day. Colossians 4:2 says devote yourselves to
prayer being watchful and thankful.
Being watchful means to continue, be steadfast, and persevere. This implies strong persistence and fervor; a
holding fast to prayer; being spiritually awake or on alert.
God says ask and it will be given
to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives; he who seeks
finds; and to him who knocks, the door will be opened (Matthew 7:7-8). Jesus encourages perseverance in prayer. Verse eight is a continued action; He is
telling us that we must keep asking, seeking, knocking.
Keys to Unlocking the Door
When you are asking, it implies
consciousness of need and the belief that God hears our prayer. Seeking implies earnest petitioning along
with obedience to God's will and knocking is perseverance in coming to God even
when He does not respond quickly. Jesus
re-assures us that those who ask will receive what they ask; it is based on
these five keys to unlock the door.
·
Seeking first the kingdom of God
·
Recognizing God's Fatherly goodness and love
·
Praying according to God's will
·
Maintaining fellowship with Christ
·
Obeying Christ/effective praying
Effective prayer is communicating
with the Lord. We are calling on God and
He hears us (Psalm 17:6); we call on the name of the Lord (Genesis 4:26); we
cry aloud to the Lord and He answers us (Psalm 3:4). To Him we lift up our soul
(Psalm 25:1). We seek the Lord (Isaiah
55:6) and as we approach the throne of grace with confidence (Hebrews 4:16) and
draw near to God (Hebrews 10:22), He sustains us and fills in our valleys and
walks us out. Prayer is the link, a
bridge of hope, and the fulfillment of His promises. All we need is already at arm's reach...ask,
seek, and knock.
Prayers are Powerful and Effective
We are over-comers. Daniel 10 verses 12 & 13 says: Since the
first day that you set your mind to gain understanding and to humble yourself
before your God, your words were heard, and I have come in response to them;
and when the Holy Spirit comes, things happen.
He enables us to receive spiritual gifts (1 Corinthians 14:1) and we are
brought in to fellowship with God which brings us grace, mercy and peace. We will be built up spiritually (Jude 20).
The prayers of a righteous man or
woman are powerful and effective. We are
given insight in to Christ's provision for us because of our prayers. We have access to God the Father and
everything we need. We will be able to
stand when all else around us is shaken and one day we will be awarded with the
crown of righteousness; not just to us but also to all who have longed for His
appearing (2 Timothy 4:8).
Angela Greenig
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