Memorise:
But Peter put them all forth, and kneeled down, and prayed; and turning him
to the body said, Tabitha, arise. And she opened her eyes: and when she saw
Peter, she sat up. Acts 9:40
Read: Mark 9:20-29
20 And they brought him unto him: and when he saw him, straightway the
spirit tare him; and he fell on the ground, and wallowed foaming.
21 And he asked his father, How long is it ago since this came unto him? And
he said, of a child. 22 And ofttimes it hath cast him into the fire, and into
the waters, to destroy him: but if thou canst do anything, have compassion on
us, and help us.
23 Jesus said unto him, If thou canst believe, all things are possible to
him that believeth.
24 And straightway the father of the child cried out, and said with tears, Lord,
I believe; help thou mine unbelief.
25 When Jesus saw that the people came running together, he rebuked the foul
spirit, saying unto him, Thou dumb and deaf spirit, I charge thee, come out of
him, and enter no more into him. 26 And the spirit cried, and rent him sore,
and came out of him: and he was as one dead; insomuch that many said, He is
dead.
27 But Jesus took him by the hand, and lifted him up; and he arose.
28 And when he was come into the house, his disciples asked him privately, why
could not we cast him out?
29 And he said unto them, this kind can come forth by nothing, but by prayer
and fasting.
Message
The Bible in Philippians 4:6 enjoins us not to be anxious for anything, but
rather to make our requests known to God through prayer and supplication
sandwiched with thanksgiving. The result of this spiritual exercise is found in
Philippians 4:7:
"And the peace of God, which
passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ
Jesus."
This is the wonder of an effective Christian Prayer life. Our Bible text
reveals that prayer can work wonder beyond our wildest imagination. It also
reveals the inevitability of prayer in our lives. If Jesus could do nothing
without prayer, then we should not think that an effective prayer life is
optional in our Christian walk. When the apostles wondered why they could not
cast out the demons in a demon-possessed boy, Jesus in Mark 9:29 simply told
them that it was due to lack of prayer and fasting. James 4:2 reveals that many
children of God are guilty of negligence in prayer. Some of them even become
envious of those who take out time to pray to God concerning their needs. They
fail to realise that it is prayer that can solve the problem of lack, and not
envy. Like the elder brother of the prodigal son, they are zealous in the work
of God but fail to make their requests known to God. They end up becoming
envious. The elder brother of the prodigal son even falsely accused his father
of partiality. But the father replied that all that he had was his (Luke 15:31).
The problem with this son was that he would not ask.
After I was commissioned as the General Overseer of the Redeemed Christian
Church of God, I travelled to my home town. On getting there, one of the requests
put forward to me was about the access road into the town; as at that time, the
road was in a deplorable state. Humanly speaking, it was an expensive project
for a pastor to undertake. So I looked up in prayer to the God who called me,
just like the Psalmist did in Psalm 121:1-2:
"I WILL lift up mine eyes
unto the hills, from whence cometh my help. My help cometh from the LORD, which
made heaven and earth."
The Lord answered my simple prayer a few weeks after my visit. He moved the
government to award a contract that got the road fixed.
Key Point:
Ask and it shall be given; seek, and you shall find; knock, and the door
shall be opened unto you.
BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: ISAIAH 23-26 and
ACTS 5:22-42
AUTHOR: Pastor E.A. ADEBOYE
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