PRAYER – What a Gift! By Minister Helen Williams 

With a word or just a thought, is to be in Your Presence.  The Presence of the Most High God is guaranteed by His Word.    

“And it shall come to pass, that before they call, I will answer; and while they are yet speaking, I will hear.’’  (Isaiah 65: 24) 

The prayers of the saints are heard and answered by God.  HE knows the desires/pleadings of our hearts before we speak them in prayer.   God’s answer speeds on its way before we call.  He responds to our cry while we are calling, and His answer will always be delivered in HIS way, in HIS time, and for HIS eternal praise and our eternal benefit.  Prayer starts with God.  It’s His idea.  God is the instigator, implementer, and inspiration of prayer. 

“Prayer Starts With God” by:  Lloyd John Ogilvie (Isaiah 65:24; 1 john 5:12-15; Romans 8:26-30)

I believe God led me to this “Revolutionary thought” (his words) written by Lloyd John Ogilvie.  A Christian for over thirty-five years, he credits the verses above with a complete change to his prayer life. He states, “The heavy baggage of believing that I had to get God’s attention and that He would listen and respond if I said the right words…” And, “Prayer became burdensome and laborious. Often I was reluctant to pray…”  “Then one day,” said Ogilvie, “I happened on a combination of scriptures, which exploded the tight, constricted, and limited view of prayer I had held.  Simply stated, it is this:  Prayer starts with God. The desire to pray is the result of God’s greater desire to talk with us. He has something to say when we feel the urge to pray.  Our responsibility is to listen.”

I have taken many liberties with Ogilvie’s teaching, bordering on plagiarism, mixing his “Revolutionary thoughts” with my own in the body of this article.  I have experienced some/much of his dilemma in regard to prayer, and find the referenced scriptures, when placed side by side, helpful, as well as the article. My intention is to spend more time prayerfully testing his “Revolutionary thought.”  In the meantime:

     Lord, I’m thanking You for this day that You have made, a day that we haven’t seen before and will not see again. I’m grateful for each new day, along with its brand-new mercies.  We’re told to rejoice in all things, for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning us.  Being steadfast and without ceasing in prayer.  As we walk by faith, not by sight, hope does not disappoint us because the love of God has been poured out into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, who was given to us by our Father.  Lord, I’m asking for abundant blessings as the Urban X-pression’s team prepares for this new venture.  Direct their endeavors to a plenteous harvest for Your glory, that Your kingdom expand 30, 60, 100 fold.  Holy Spirit, as you continue to guide us in our prayers, we thank You for reminding us of our need for confession and repentance of sins. If we confess our sins, Jesus is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and cleanse us, just as if we never sinned.  In the name of Jesus, I ask and pray all things, nevertheless, not my will but, Thy perfect will be done.  Amen.

“The one concern of the devil is to keep Christians from praying.   He fears nothing from prayer-less studies, prayer-less work, pray-less religion.  He laughs at our toil, mocks at our wisdom, but trembles  when we pray.”    (Samuel Chadwick, “Back to the Bible,” 1959).