|
|
|
(Mat 7:7-8 KJV) Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you: {8} For every one that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened. 1 Tim 2:1-4 (KJV) I exhort therefore, that, first of all, supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks, be made for all men; {2} For kings, and for all that are in authority; that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and honesty. {3} For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Saviour; {4} Who will have all men to be saved, and to come unto the knowledge of the truth. James 5:16b The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much. PRAYER, n. In a general sense, the act of asking for a favor, and particularly with earnestness. 1. In worship, a solemn address to God , consisting of adoration, or an expression of our sense of God's glorious perfections, confession of our sins, supplication for mercy and forgiveness, intercession for blessings on others, and thanksgiving, or an expression of gratitude to God for his mercies and benefits. A prayer however may consist of a single petition. "To Intercede" means to plead or make requests directly with God on behalf of another or others. It also means, "seeking an audience with God to plead on behalf of someone else" {Webster's}. The Holy Spirit enables Christians to pray for extended periods of time with great positive effect for the needs of others, and the building of the Kingdom. All Christians have the right to intercede with God on behalf of themselves or others. Acceptable prayer must be sincere offered with reverence and godly fear, with a humble sense of our own insignificance as creatures and of our own unworthiness as sinners, with earnest importunity, and with unhesitating submission to the divine will. Prayer must also be offered in the faith that God is, and is the hearer and answerer of prayer, and that he will fulfil his word. No rules are anywhere in Scripture laid down for the manner of prayer or the attitude to be assumed by the suppliant. There is mention made of kneeling in prayer, of bowing and falling prostrate, of spreading out the hands, and of standing. But an effective prayer can be made the instant it is needed, and can be as simple as "God be merciful to me, a sinner". Supplication: Expressing a need to God. A humble petition in adoration, contrition or thanksgiving. ----------------------------------- AN EXAMINATION OF DANIEL'S PRAYER OF HUMILIATION AND REPENTANCE ON BEHALF OF THE SINS OF THE PEOPLE OF ISRAEL (Dan 9:2-10 KJV) PRAYER BASED ON THE READING OF GOD'S WORD In the first year of his reign I Daniel understood by books the number of the years, whereof the word of the LORD came to Jeremiah the prophet, that he would accomplish seventy years in the desolations of Jerusalem. DELIBERATE INTENTION TO PRAY WITH PERSONAL HUMILIATION AND DEPRIVATION {3} And I set my face unto the Lord God, to seek by prayer and supplications, with fasting, and sackcloth, and ashes: CONFESSION OF SINS AND REPENTANCE {4} And I prayed unto the LORD my God, and made my confession, and said, CALLING OUT FOR MERCY FROM GOD O Lord, the great and dreadful God, keeping the covenant and mercy to them that love him, and to them that keep his commandments; SPECIFIC ENUMERATION OF SINS {5} We have sinned, and have committed iniquity, and have done wickedly, and have rebelled, even by departing from thy precepts and from thy judgments: {6} Neither have we hearkened unto thy servants the prophets, which spake in thy name to our kings, our princes, and our fathers, and to all the people of the land. ACCEPTING THE SHAME AND GUILT OF SIN {7} O Lord, righteousness belongeth unto thee, but unto us 'confusion of faces'{Heb=shame}, as at this day; to the men of Judah, and to the inhabitants of Jerusalem, and unto all Israel, that are near, and that are far off, through all the countries whither thou hast driven them, because of their trespass that they have trespassed against thee. {8} O Lord, to us belongeth confusion of face, to our kings, to our princes, and to our fathers, because we have sinned against thee. CALLING ON GOD FOR MERCY AND FORGIVENESS {9} To the Lord our God belong mercies and forgivenesses, though we have rebelled against him; {10} Neither have we obeyed the voice of the LORD our God, to walk in his laws, which he set before us by his servants the prophets. ----------------------------------------------------------- (Ezra 9:3-7 KJV) And when I heard this thing, I rent my garment and my mantle, and plucked off the hair of my head and of my beard, and sat down astonied{Heb=astonished}. {4} Then were assembled unto me every one that trembled at the words of the God of Israel, because of the transgression of those that had been carried away; and I sat astonied until the evening sacrifice. {5} And at the evening sacrifice I arose up from my heaviness; and having rent my garment and my mantle, I fell upon my knees, and spread out my hands unto the LORD my God, {6} And said, O my God, I am ashamed and blush to lift up my face to thee, my God: for our iniquities are increased over our head, and our trespass is grown up unto the heavens. {7} Since the days of our fathers have we been in a great trespass unto this day; and for our iniquities have we, our kings, and our priests, been delivered into the hand of the kings of the lands, to the sword, to captivity, and to a spoil, and to confusion of face, as it is this day. (Ezra 10:6 KJV) Then Ezra rose up from before the house of God, and went into the chamber of Johanan the son of Eliashib: and when he came thither, he did eat no bread, nor drink water: for he mourned because of the transgression of them that had been carried away. (Neh 1:4-11a KJV) And it came to pass, when I heard these words, that I sat down and wept, and mourned certain days, and fasted, and prayed before the God of heaven, {5} And said, I beseech thee, O LORD God of heaven, the great and terrible God, that keepeth covenant and mercy for them that love him and observe his commandments: {6} Let thine ear now be attentive, and thine eyes open, that thou mayest hear the prayer of thy servant, which I pray before thee now, day and night, for the children of Israel thy servants, and confess the sins of the children of Israel, which we have sinned against thee: both I and my father's house have sinned. {7} We have dealt very corruptly against thee, and have not kept the commandments, nor the statutes, nor the judgments, which thou commandedst thy servant Moses. {8} Remember, I beseech thee, the word that thou commandedst thy servant Moses, saying, If ye transgress, I will scatter you abroad among the nations: {9} But if ye turn unto me, and keep my commandments, and do them; though there were of you cast out unto the uttermost part of the heaven, yet will I gather them from thence, and will bring them unto the place that I have chosen to set my name there. {10} Now these are thy servants and thy people, whom thou hast redeemed by thy great power, and by thy strong hand. {11} O Lord, I beseech thee, let now thine ear be attentive to the prayer of thy servant, and to the prayer of thy servants, who desire to fear thy name: and prosper, I pray thee, thy servant this day, and grant him mercy in the sight of this man. (Neh 9:1-3 KJV) Now in the twenty and fourth day of this month the children of Israel were assembled with fasting, and with sackclothes, and earth upon them. {2} And the seed of Israel separated themselves from all strangers, and stood and confessed their sins, and the iniquities of their fathers. {3} And they stood up in their place, and read in the book of the law of the LORD their God one fourth part of the day; and another fourth part they confessed, and worshipped the LORD their God. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- THE ACTIVITY OF THE HOLY SPIRIT IN OUR PRAYER LIFE Rom 8:26-28 (KJV) Likewise the Spirit also helpeth our infirmities: for we know not what we should pray for as we ought: but the Spirit itself maketh intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered. {27} And he that searcheth the hearts knoweth what is the mind of the Spirit, because he maketh intercession for the saints according to the will of God. {28} And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose. EXAMPLES OF A SERIOUS PRAYER WARRIOR Luke 2:36-37 (KJV) And there was one Anna, a prophetess, the daughter of Phanuel, of the tribe of Aser: she was of a great age, and had lived with an husband seven years from her virginity; {37} And she was a widow of about fourscore and four years, which departed not from the temple, but served God with fastings and prayers night and day. THE INTERCESSORY PRIESTHOOD OF JESUS CHRIST Heb 7:22-27 (KJV) By so much was Jesus made a surety of a better testament. {23} And they truly were many priests, because they were not suffered to continue by reason of death: {24} But this man, because he continueth ever, hath an unchangeable priesthood. {25} Wherefore he is able also to save them to the uttermost that come unto God by him, seeing he ever liveth to make intercession for them. {26} For such an high priest became us, who is holy, harmless, undefiled, separate from sinners, and made higher than the heavens; {27} Who needeth not daily, as those high priests, to offer up sacrifice, first for his own sins, and then for the people's: for this he did once, when he offered up himself. THE HEAVENLY ELDERS IN WORSHIP OF THE LORD Rev 4:8-11 (KJV) And the four beasts had each of them six wings about him; and they were full of eyes within: and they rest not day and night, saying, Holy, holy, holy, Lord God Almighty, which was, and is, and is to come. {9} And when those beasts give glory and honour and thanks to him that sat on the throne, who liveth for ever and ever, {10} The four and twenty elders fall down before him that sat on the throne, and worship him that liveth for ever and ever, and cast their crowns before the throne, saying, {11} Thou art worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honour and power: for thou hast created all things, and for thy pleasure they are and were created. THE ETERNAL WORSHIP AND SERVICE OF GOD Rev 7:11-17 (KJV) And all the angels stood round about the throne, and about the elders and the four beasts, and fell before the throne on their faces, and worshipped God, {12} Saying, Amen: Blessing, and glory, and wisdom, and thanksgiving, and honour, and power, and might, be unto our God for ever and ever. Amen. {13} And one of the elders answered, saying unto me, What are these which are arrayed in white robes? and whence came they? {14} And I said unto him, Sir, thou knowest. And he said to me, These are they which came out of great tribulation, and have washed their robes, and made them white in the blood of the Lamb. {15} Therefore are they before the throne of God, and serve him day and night in his temple: and he that sitteth on the throne shall dwell among them. {16} They shall hunger no more, neither thirst any more; neither shall the sun light on them, nor any heat. {17} For the Lamb which is in the midst of the throne shall feed them, and shall lead them unto living fountains of waters: and God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes. God Bless You.....brother bob.......<> |