PRAYER AND TRANSFORMATION
We’ve heard many times about this phrase “Prayer has great power to change everything”. What is the secret of such prayer? Is it possible for us now to apply them? And how can we achieve such result?
Prayer indeed has great power to everything. It holds the power for life transformation. It can change our circumstances, it can change the course of our future, even the course of a nation! In the Bible we find many evidences of the great power of prayers. When the people of God prayed, something extraordinary and supernatural happened. How so?
Our prayer to God is a sacred experience - it is the drawing near of people of God to God. When we approach Him, He will quicken the human spirit and inspire worship to Him not only through our mouth, but also through every aspect of our life. God will cause us to focus on Him and makes us excited to serve Him. This is the beginning of transformation of life. The center of that transformation is God, not us.
This is why prayer is very important for the transformation of life. It is very necessary for you to have that supernatural and personal experience in prayer as a weapon of transformation of life, first to yourself before that of others. So in your prayer, always ask God to give you that experience.
Let us take a look at the transformation of life of Jabez found in 1 Chronicles 4:9-10.
“Now Jabez was more honorable than his brothers, and his mother called his name Jabez, saying, Because I bore him in pain, And Jabez called on the God of Israel saying, Oh, that You would bless me indeed, and enlarge my territory, that Your hand would be with me, and that You would keep me from evil that I may not cause pain, So God granted him what he requested”
Consider the name of this man, “Jabez”, which means ‘born in sorrow or pain’. If a man born in pain and sorrow was more honorable than his brethren, I wonder what the state of the others was. Though he was more honorable in comparison to his brethren, he was not satisfied with the mere fact that he was better than his brethren.
Jabez was more honorable than his brethren, yet his name meant sorrow. Does this not speak to you? It is often said that in the land of the blind, the one-eyed man is king. But when he comes amidst fully-sighted people will he discover how much help he needs
As long as you are satisfied with where you are and with who you are, prayer will not be possible and fruitless. We must learn how to judge ourselves as men and women who need help from the Lord, otherwise there will be no revival.
... And Jabez called on the God of Israel!
“A man who is full will have no need for food. It takes hunger for food to be desired”
Giving yourself to prayers will not be possible unless you have discovered your true spiritual state. This can be done only in the light of the Lord God through His Word.
Jabez called on the God of Israel because he knew God was the only help he had. At that point Jabez knew what his needs were. He was not going to ask inappropriately or wrongly and he was not going to fight as one beating the air; he had a target. Jabez had discovered his faulty foundation in life. "Because his mother bore him in pain," he came face to face with reality.
Do you know why God has not changed your situation? It is because you are taking presumption for faith. You do not want to face reality; you are covering your desolations with words of faith instead of facing up to your wretchedness and finding a solution to it.
Cry from the depth of your soul: "Oh! That you would bless me in deed... "Indeed, it was not a cry by Jabez to fulfill any righteousness; it was a cry from the depth of his soul.
Today, we are too casual about prayer. We do not take prayer as a serious business.Lack of whole-hearted commitment to prayer is the cause of lukewarmness in the church. Our hearts are too flimsy. Our hearts are not deep at all when it comes to God. As a result, our prayers are shallow and have no depth. Prayers without our heart are not acceptable unto God and will produce no result.
Will your spiritual emptiness move you to wait upon God? Don't you know your season is passing you by? To everything and to every man there is a season. When this season passes by, it becomes difficult to become what God intends you to become.
Except heaven responds upon the earth there will be no transformation. It takes the dew of heaven to bring a refreshing upon the earth. Except heaven responds to the earth, your life, ministry, circumstances, and family will remain the way they are.
Jabez was changed because he came to God through prayer with humility. And this is why heaven responded to his plea - “...so God granted him what he requested”.
Prayer indeed has great power to everything. It holds the power for life transformation. It can change our circumstances, it can change the course of our future, even the course of a nation! In the Bible we find many evidences of the great power of prayers. When the people of God prayed, something extraordinary and supernatural happened. How so?
Our prayer to God is a sacred experience - it is the drawing near of people of God to God. When we approach Him, He will quicken the human spirit and inspire worship to Him not only through our mouth, but also through every aspect of our life. God will cause us to focus on Him and makes us excited to serve Him. This is the beginning of transformation of life. The center of that transformation is God, not us.
This is why prayer is very important for the transformation of life. It is very necessary for you to have that supernatural and personal experience in prayer as a weapon of transformation of life, first to yourself before that of others. So in your prayer, always ask God to give you that experience.
Let us take a look at the transformation of life of Jabez found in 1 Chronicles 4:9-10.
“Now Jabez was more honorable than his brothers, and his mother called his name Jabez, saying, Because I bore him in pain, And Jabez called on the God of Israel saying, Oh, that You would bless me indeed, and enlarge my territory, that Your hand would be with me, and that You would keep me from evil that I may not cause pain, So God granted him what he requested”
Consider the name of this man, “Jabez”, which means ‘born in sorrow or pain’. If a man born in pain and sorrow was more honorable than his brethren, I wonder what the state of the others was. Though he was more honorable in comparison to his brethren, he was not satisfied with the mere fact that he was better than his brethren.
Jabez was more honorable than his brethren, yet his name meant sorrow. Does this not speak to you? It is often said that in the land of the blind, the one-eyed man is king. But when he comes amidst fully-sighted people will he discover how much help he needs
As long as you are satisfied with where you are and with who you are, prayer will not be possible and fruitless. We must learn how to judge ourselves as men and women who need help from the Lord, otherwise there will be no revival.
... And Jabez called on the God of Israel!
“A man who is full will have no need for food. It takes hunger for food to be desired”
Giving yourself to prayers will not be possible unless you have discovered your true spiritual state. This can be done only in the light of the Lord God through His Word.
Jabez called on the God of Israel because he knew God was the only help he had. At that point Jabez knew what his needs were. He was not going to ask inappropriately or wrongly and he was not going to fight as one beating the air; he had a target. Jabez had discovered his faulty foundation in life. "Because his mother bore him in pain," he came face to face with reality.
Do you know why God has not changed your situation? It is because you are taking presumption for faith. You do not want to face reality; you are covering your desolations with words of faith instead of facing up to your wretchedness and finding a solution to it.
Cry from the depth of your soul: "Oh! That you would bless me in deed... "Indeed, it was not a cry by Jabez to fulfill any righteousness; it was a cry from the depth of his soul.
Today, we are too casual about prayer. We do not take prayer as a serious business.Lack of whole-hearted commitment to prayer is the cause of lukewarmness in the church. Our hearts are too flimsy. Our hearts are not deep at all when it comes to God. As a result, our prayers are shallow and have no depth. Prayers without our heart are not acceptable unto God and will produce no result.
Will your spiritual emptiness move you to wait upon God? Don't you know your season is passing you by? To everything and to every man there is a season. When this season passes by, it becomes difficult to become what God intends you to become.
Except heaven responds upon the earth there will be no transformation. It takes the dew of heaven to bring a refreshing upon the earth. Except heaven responds to the earth, your life, ministry, circumstances, and family will remain the way they are.
Jabez was changed because he came to God through prayer with humility. And this is why heaven responded to his plea - “...so God granted him what he requested”.
