Restoration , though promised , will not come by default ; it will be birthed through prayer . Judgements can only be averted through prayer ; marriages and families will be restored through prayer ; enlightenment , effective service and worship will only be possible through prayer . Your responsibility as a believer is not complaining , pinpointing mistakes or feeling pity for others , worrying and wondering what to do or even watching helplessly ; you have the responsibility of interceding for them . People will see the light of God through prayer . If the Kingdom of God is going to be manifested in the world , then it is going to be through prayer .
God has given us what we have and He has made us who we are so that we can wage war and fight for our fellow brothers and sisters who are still under the control of enemy . Victory is not just guaranteed , it is already there . Jesus has already won the battle and ours is to carry that mantle of victory as we go to war . Our work is to actually enforce that victory , and how else can we do it if not through prayer ?
Our battle according to Ephesians 6 is not carnal , but spiritual , and I believe that the most effective way of fighting is through prayer and intercession . You and I have the responsibility of standing in the gap and interceding for others who do not know God and may be facing diffculties in whatever area of their lives . To stand in the spirit between evil and those it would crush is how the kingdom of God changes the world around us . If we want to see change , then one of the things we ought to do is to get back to our prayer closets and call on God to show us what to do , otherwise we will do very little , if anything , to make impact in our areas of influence .
When we pray and intercede for others , we do not just pray to get answers , we become answers .
Andrew Murray in his book " With Christ in the School of Prayer " says : " It is in intercession that the church is to find and wield its highest power , that each member of the Church is to prove his descent from Israel [ Jacob ], who as a prince had power with God and with men , and prevailed ... I feel sure that as long as we look on prayer chiefly as the means of maintaining our own Christian life , we shall not know fully what it is meant to be . But when we learn to regard it as the highest part of the work entrusted to us , the root and strength of all other work , we shall see that there is nothing that we so need to study and practice as the art of praying aright .... It is only when the church gives herself up to this holy work of intercession that we can expect the power of Christ to manifest itself in her behalf ."
Prayer is the first thing , the second thing , the third thing necessary to a minister . Pray , then , my dear brother : pray , pray , pray
Edward Payson
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