Unveiling Prayer From Exodus, Deuteronomy, Joshua and 1Samuel

This is part of a series of books in which particular verses are picked from books of the bible, and the issues of Prayer are explored, in the light of the mind of God for us.

In this book, we explore six topics, from different verses in the books of Exodus, Deuteronomy, Joshua and 1Samuel. They are: The Lord changed his mind; Only a call away; Demanding for your right; Praying to the Lord; What prayer does; and The wall of prayer.

Excerpts:

The Lord changed his mind

“In all these, we see that prayer is the key in the art of persuading God. It is not that God set out to be difficult, waiting to be persuaded all the time. But realise that in the Garden of Eden the impression we get is that in the relationship between God and man, God was the one taking the initiate (Genesis 3:8-11). However, once man abused that privileged by sin, God changed his tactics and to a large extent now, man would have to take the initiative in the relating with God, (Genesis 4:26), and that relationship forms the basis of any kind of persuasion for God to change his mind, and the basic qualification for the intercessor.”

Only a call away

“David asked for direction and he got it. What will happen if he did not ask as he faced the different enemies in his life, it means he would have groped in darkness, not knowing what to do, and many things would have gone wrong for him.”

Demanding for your right

“The children of Levi needed to know what was promised, to demand for it. Therefore what you know is very important. That should spur you on to demand for your rights in the place of prayer. Heaven is waiting; the Judge is waiting to hear your case.”

Praying to the Lord

“God was compared with that judge, because he is the ultimate judge of the heaven and the earth but he is different because He is willing to make decisions that will favour us. We however show our faith in God, as we are in the process of seeking him to help us, when we have our leg permanently on the throttle of prayer, knowing that we have no other option but to pray, just as that widow had no other option but to approach the judge for a favourable decision.

In another place Jesus said that when we pray the God who sees in secret will reward us openly. If you want God’s open reward, you have to pray (Matthew 6:6).”

What prayer does

“It is in the place of prayer we receive the grace to impart our world, receive help to be able to help others, to be the best we can be, to be changed into the very image of God.”

The wall of prayer

“In another place, Paul asked for prayer, he said people should pray for him so that he will be able to proclaim the gospel as he should (Ephesians 6:18-20). That means without the wall of prayer, Paul’s ministry will be severely affected by negative circumstances and other things, making it virtually impossible for him to do the will of God and fulfill his calling.”