Tikkun America RESTORE Magazine Elul | August 2023 | Page 18

Throughout Scripture we see that God desires for His people to partner with Him to accomplish His plan . Without any doubt , He could do everything on His own , but He has chosen to include us in the process . We are representatives of His Kingdom on earth and when we pray , we are literally releasing the light of His presence into the world to transform it . We are temples of the Holy Spirit and His power is released through us as we pray , speak , and minister .
Prayer is connecting with God , heart to heart : Prayer is the best way to enhance our relationship with God , but that relationship needs to be developed , nurtured , and valued . As we spend time in His presence , we begin to see and know His heart . Knowing His heart is key to understanding His nature and His will .
Prayer is lingering in His presence : We must learn to wait on Him in prayer , to not be in a rush or treat prayer like we ’ re sprinting through our to-do list . As we linger in His presence , we grow in our faith and trust that He will do what He promises .
Prayer is being persistent : We are called to stand in faith and not waiver for His will to be accomplished on this earth . This takes persevering in prayer , or birthing prayer . Through our persistent prayers , we are birthing something in the spiritual realm before it is released into the natural realm . And this takes time .
In our culture , we have become accustomed to getting instant results in everything . With microwaves , computers , texting , and remote controls , we expect to have what we want when we want it with little or no effort on our part . This even applies to answered prayers . Too often we launch short , desperate prayers into the sky for a need and then get frustrated when the answer doesn ’ t come right away . Then immediately , the enemy is right there , telling us that either God is ignoring us … our prayers are insignificant … or He doesn ’ t even want to help us .
Prayer is spiritual warfare : It is important to remember that our battle is not with flesh and blood , but with powers of darkness . Much of persistent prayer includes spiritual warfare , declarations of God ’ s promises , and
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