Seize the Moment – Day 937
Pray Effective Prayers!
Good morning! This is Pastor Jerry Ingalls from New Castle First Baptist Church and today is Monday, October 10.
Does God answer prayer? That is a probing question that people ask in every generation. In fact, it was the deepest petition of Solomon’s dedicatory prayer of the temple found in 2 Chronicles 6:14-42. The heart of his prayer is bookended by verses 21 and 40:
Listen to the supplications of Your servant and of Your people Israel when they pray toward this place; hear from Your dwelling place, from heaven; hear and forgive. … Now, O my God, I pray, let Your eyes be open and Your ears attentive to the prayer offered in this place.
Solomon petitioned God to respond to the people’s prayers when they cried out to Him at the temple. To that end, his long prayer has seven conditional statements asking God to answer the prayers of His people:
- “If a man sins against his neighbor … then hear from heaven …” (22-23).
- “If Your people Israel are defeated before an enemy … then hear from heaven …” (24-25).
- “When the heavens are shut up and there is no rain … then hear in heaven …” (26-27).
- “If there is famine in the land … then hear from heaven …” (28-31).
- “Also concerning the foreigner … when they come and pray toward this house, then hear from heaven …” (32-33).
- “When Your people go out to battle against their enemies … then hear from heaven …” (34-35).
- “When they sin against You (for there is no man who does not sin) … then hear from heaven …” (36-39).
Solomon petitioned God according to His hesed – His covenant lovingkindness to Israel (14). He did so because prayer is a privilege, and for it to be effective you must align yourself with the character of God (John 14:14; 16:24; 1 John 5:14; James 5:16b).
God bless you!
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YOUTUBE:
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Videos are posted about a week after the devotion appears in the blog.