| When Jesus was baptised the Bible says, ‘While He prayed…the Holy Spirit descended…upon Him…and a voice…from heaven…said, “You are My beloved Son; in You I am well pleased”’ (vv. 21-22 NKJV). After the crucifixion the disciples ‘prayed with a single purpose’ (Acts 1:14 CEV) and ‘the place…was shaken. They were…filled with the Holy Spirit, and they spoke God’s word without fear’ (Acts 4:31 NCV). Make no mistake, prayer can be hard work, but our most rewarding moments will come from time spent on our knees. God uses prayer to accomplish things that won’t happen any other way. Henry Blackaby says: ‘As we pray our attention is turned towards God and we become more receptive to aligning our lives with His will. He won’t equip us with His power while we’re racing off to our next appointment! His Spirit won’t empower us if we’re oblivious to what He’s saying. He requires our complete attention…“Jesus told his disciples…they should always pray and not give up” (Luke 18:1 NIV 2011 Edition). If you’ll commit yourself to spend sustained time in prayer…God will work in your life as He did in the lives of Jesus and His disciples …The fervent prayer of the people at Pentecost didn’t induce the Holy Spirit to come upon them. Prayer brought them to where they were ready to participate in the mighty work God had already planned.’ The Bible says, ‘Before daylight, [Jesus] went…to a solitary place; and…prayed’ (Mark 1:35 NKJV). And before He chose His disciples, ‘he spent the night praying’ (Luke 6:12 NCV). If it took a whole night for Jesus to determine His Father’s will, what makes you think you can do it in a few hurried moments? |
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