Gennesaret Ministry Centre.
{Deo Volente Mission}

                                                  WHAT IS PRAYER?

 

Who can pray? And who does God hear when they pray? A prayer for salvation,

that is done in faith and from a sincere heart is heard every time. Amen! The Bible says in Luke 23:42-43 and this is referring to the thief hanging on the cross next to Jesus. "And he said unto Jesus, Lord, remember me when thou comes into thy kingdom. And Jesus said unto him, Verily I say unto thee, to day shall thou be with me in paradise." God heard this man's cry for mercy, and the Lord forgave him of his sins right there as he was dying on the cross. And then we read about the tax collector in Luke 18:13 "And the publican, standing afar off, would not lift up so much as his eyes unto heaven, but smote upon his breast, saying, God be merciful to me a sinner." Prayer is a wonderful privilege that God's Children have. God gives us the right to approach Him in prayer. The Bible says in Psalm 34:17 "The righteous cry, and the Lord hearth, and delivered them out of all their troubles." Psalm 145:18 says "The Lord is nigh unto all them that call upon him, to all that call upon him in truth." It makes no difference who you are, or where you are from. It makes no difference how much or how little money you may have. It makes no difference what kind of position in life you hold, if you belong to God, you can pray to Him, and He will hear your prayer. Amen!

God hears people who call on His name in faith. God hears people who humble themselves before Him. God hears people who delight themselves in Him, and who commit their way unto the Lord. Amen!

God hears the voice of His People. He hears those that are truly His. The Bible says in 2 Chronicles 7:14 "If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land." God hears those who delight themselves in Him. Psalms 37:4 says "Delight thyself also in the Lord; and he shall give thee the desires of thine heart." God hears those who trust Him. The Bible says in Psalms 37:5 "Commit thy way unto the Lord; trust also in him; and he shall bring it to pass." God hears those that humble themselves before Him. The Bible says in Psalm 10:17 "Lord, thou hast heard the desire of the humble: thou wilt prepare their heart, thou wilt cause thine ear to hear:" God hears the poor. The Bible says in Psalm 69:33 "For the Lord hearth the poor, and despise not his prisoners." He hears those who are sick and who suffer. The Bible says in James 5:13 "Is any among you afflicted? let him pray." God hears those that are oppressed. The Bible says in Isaiah 19:20 "And it shall be a sign and for a witness unto the Lord of hosts in the land of Egypt: for they shall cry unto the Lord because of the oppressors, and he shall send them a saviour, and a great one, and he shall deliver them." God hears the widows and the fatherless. The Bible says in Exodus 22:22-23 "Ye shall not afflict any widow, or fatherless child. If thou afflict them in any wise, and they cry at all unto me, I will surely hear their cry." God hears those who ask for wisdom. The Bible says in James 1:5 "If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraid not; and it shall be given him." God hears those who seek the Truth. The Bible says in Acts 10:30-31 "And Cornelius said, Four days ago I was fasting until this hour; and at the ninth hour I prayed in my house, and, behold, a man stood before me in bright clothing." And lastly, God hears the righteous. The Bible says in Proverbs 15:29 "The Lord is far from the wicked: but he hearth the prayer of the righteous." Friends, God is not going to hear the wicked, not unless they are praying for salvation. God is not obligated to hear  or to answer the wicked. God is a just God, and He reigns judgement on the just and the unjust. But, His Word says He hears the cry of the righteous, but is far from the wicked. God does not bless sin. He does not tolerate it, nor does He have any part in it. God is a holy God, and will not put up with sin. Amen!

In order to pray to God, we need to know who we are in Christ Jesus. You see, we have been bought with a price. Jesus has paid that price with His own life and by the spilling of His precious Blood. When we cry out to God in repentance, Jesus forgives us, He washes us whiter than the snow by His Blood. We are forgiven of our sins, and we are washed in the Blood, cleansed from all past sin. It is then that we are Born Again. We have been born into the Family of God, where we have become heirs and joint heirs to the Kingdom of God. Amen! As Children of God, we are a peculiar people, and so it is so important that we separate ourselves from sin, and from all evil appearances.. We are no longer our own, for now we belong to God. Our bodies are not our own to do in any way we want to do, but, our bodies belong to God, and they are to be used from head to toe for the glory of God. Amen! We must separate ourselves from sin. As Children of the Family of God, we have the honour, the privilege, and the authority to come to God in prayer. God hears our prayers because we belong to Him, and He answers our prayers, according to His perfect will. Amen! A lot of times we pray out of God's Will. We pray for what we want, or how we think something should be, instead of seeking God and asking Him to work it out to how He sees is best for us. God's way is always best. Amen! Not just sometimes, not just once in a while, but, God's way is always best for us. The Bible says in Romans, "And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose." Once again, God works all things for the good to them that love Him. That is the righteous. God hears the righteous, but He is far from the wicked. Amen! Today, we can come into the very presence of God Himself through His Son Jesus Christ. It is all because of what Jesus did on the cross that we can come to the Father. And if we don't come to Jesus, we can forget about coming to the Father. The Bible says in John 14:6 "Jesus said unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life; no man cometh unto the Father, but by me." We are the apple of God's eye if we belong to Him, and He loves us so much. God wants to have communication with His Children. God says in His Word we are a chosen people, a special people. The Bible says in 1 Peter 2:9 "But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people..." If we have been washed in the Blood of the Lamb, we are a royal priesthood As Children of God, we can enter boldly into the presence of the Lord. The Bible says in Hebrews 10:19 "Having therefore, brethren, boldness to enter into the holiest by the blood of Jesus." So what is our position in prayer? Every born again believer who truly is walking in faith and in obedience unto God, has the right to enter into God's presence. And it is all because of what Jesus has done on the cross. Amen! Jesus gives us this authority, He gives us this boldness, He gives us the calm assurance that we can call our to our Heavenly Father and ask what we will in His Name, and it be heard. Praise the Lord! The Bible says in John 16:23 "..Whatsoever ye shall ask the Father in my name, he will give it to you." Matthew 7:7-8 says "Ask, and it shall be given to you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you: For every one that ask receive; and he that seek find; and to him that knock it shall be opened." It is those who give the right place and value to the blood of Jesus, who can approach God, the Father, boldly and with confidence in prayer.