PRAYER CHANGES THINGS

PRAYER CHANGES THINGS

"So always tell each other the wrong things you have done. Then pray for each other. Do this so that God can heal you. Anyone who lives the way God wants can pray, and great things will happen. Elijah was a person just like us. He prayed that it would not rain. And it did not rain on the land for three and a half years! Then Elijah prayed that it would rain. And the rain came down from the sky, and the land grew crops again"- James 5:16-18 (ERV)

"...I pray because I can’t help myself. I pray because I’m helpless. I pray because the need flows out of me all the time, waking and sleeping. It doesn’t change God, it changes me.”-  (C.S Lewis)

The above statement is very true. There are many accounts of how the effectual fervent prayers of the righteous had changed the stories of several people in the Bible (James 5:16). For example, the power of prayer turned a barren woman to a mother of six children (1 Samuel 1:10 & 2:21), turnaround hopeless case (Matthew 9:18-26), reversed the irreversible (John 11:41-44), overcome enemies (Psalm 6:9-10), conquered death (2 Kings 4:3-36), brought healing (James 5:14-15), and defeated demons (Mark 9:25-29). God, through prayer, opens eyes, changes hearts, heals wounds, and grants wisdom (James 1:5). 

Beloved, indeed prayers can change people and their stories. Do you want a change of story? Then, you must be ready to engage the power of prayer. Prayer engages the hands of the Great Potter on your behalf. It places the Great Physician on call of duty over your affairs. It employs the Great Provider on full time basis. It  deploys the Rock of Ages and Strong Tower as your permanent line of defence, shield and buckler. It gives the Ocean Divider express approval to make a way for you where there is no way. And when prayer becomes oxygen to us, then signs and wonders becomes the carbon dioxide that we emit every second. Whenever God finds someone who trusts him passionately and seeks Him faithfully in prayer like Elijah, He will use the fellow's destiny to display His amazing wonders to the whole world. 

One special hymn that describes the awesome power of prayer is titled " The Beautiful Garden of Prayer". The hymn was composed in 1920 by Eleanor Allen Schroll. May I urge you to please join me to meditate on the lyrics of this wonderful hymn below as we trust God to pour double portions of Elijah's grace and glory upon us this week. 

THE BEAUTIFUL GARDEN OF PRAYER by Eleanor Allen Schroll (1878–1966)

There’s a garden where Jesus is waiting,
There’s a place that is wondrously fair,
For it glows with the light of His presence.
’Tis the beautiful garden of prayer.

Refrain:
          Oh, the beautiful garden, the garden of prayer!
          Oh, the beautiful garden of prayer!
          There my Savior awaits, and He opens the gates
          To the beautiful garden of prayer.

There’s a garden where Jesus is waiting,
And I go with my burden and care,
Just to learn from His lips words of comfort
In the beautiful garden of prayer.

There’s a garden where Jesus is waiting,
And He bids you to come, meet Him there;
Just to bow and receive a new blessing
In the beautiful garden of prayer.

Friends, how often do you visit that Beautiful  Garden of Prayer? Are you a man of like passion like Prophet Elijah, John Hyde, John Wesley, Brother Lawrence, C.S. Lewis, Apostle A. Babalola, Pastor E.A. Adeboye, Bishop D. Oyedepo, Dr. D.K Olukoya etc ? How deep or shallow is your prayer life? I have no doubt that God is still willing to raise many Elijahs in this generation. Will you like to be one of them? Then, you must visit the beautiful garden of prayer frequently. Like C.S.Lewis, the need for prayer must flow out of you all the time.

My prayer for you and my humble self is that God will pour the spirit of grace and supplication (Zachariah 12:10) into our soul this week. Our desire to seek His face passionately in prayer shall keep waxing stronger as the days goes by. And the glorious light of His presence shall permeate our lives and turn us to a real blessing to everyone that crosses our path in this generation. 

Please join us at our Beautiful Garden of Prayer - RCCG Kingdom Life Parish for Q1- 2019 Prophetic Prayer Summit tagged "My Sarah's Womb" on Friday  29th to Sunday 31st March 2019. Venue: Church Auditorium, 109, Shasha Road, Abati Bustop. Egbeda, Lagos. Nigeria. Time: 8am, 5pm & 10pm. Please come with your burden,  the Saviour is waiting for you. 

Good morning and God bless you.

Maranatha!

Bro. Okanlawon Taiwo

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