Lesson Number 4 -- Prayer Matters

Lesson Number 4 -- Prayer Matters

"Call to ME and I will answer you, and I will tell you great and mighty things, which you do not know." Jeremiah 33:3

I have been sharing with you lessons that I have learned this summer which stems from this: FEAR GOD -- PLEASE GOD. Let me clarify that the Scriptural definition of God is not the one we are used to using. The word picture here is being in awe of our great and marvelous God.

There is also a sense of accountability in fearing God: He knows, weighs and sees everyone of my thoughts, deeds, words and actions. He's not just our big buddy -- He's the God of the universe and He is the Lord. I stand in awe of Him.

This summer God laid it on my heart to begin a morning prayer time called PUSH = Pray Until Something Happens. It was a strong burden, and a daring move for me. The time? 7:30 AM. I was willing to pray alone if that was what God wanted. I had no clue if anyone would show up.

But we forged ahead. And I must confess, it turned out to be one of those memorable times that I will never forgot. People met with me all summer and our prayer times together were very special.

People cried out to God for their unsaved families. People cried out to God for Him to speak to their hearts. People cried out to God for our staff, our ministry and for our government. We shared no prayer requests. We had no devotional. We prayed!

And God answered pray. We saw an amazing number of children, teens and adults come to Christ this summer. One lady witnessed her elderly Mom come to Christ at the end of one of the evening meetings. A grandfather was privileged to see his three grandkids saved in Children's ministry.

One memorable moment was hearing the prayer of a dear saint crying out for someone who might need to "touch the hem of His garment and be set free!" That night during a sharing time, a lady stood at the end to share testimony that God had spoken to her heart during the day. She said, "I came to the place of today of hearing God say, "touch the hem of My garment and be set free." Praise the Lord.

It seemed at times that we stirred up the enemies hornets nest because we were storming the gates of heaven. One lady wrote me: "You asked for this! I hope you are happy!" My fear of people could have crippled my desire to pray with these saints. But praise God, we PUSHED forward.

It has given me courage and boldness to move to the next level of prayer. I am trying to decide if we should continue this prayer time. If we do, I will let you know. God does answer prayer. Prayer matters to God and it should to you, too! -- Bill Welte is President and CEO of America's KESWICK

Digging Deeper: Proverbs 15; Proverbs 22-24; 2 Corinthians 8

Dig This Quote: Attempt something so great for God, its doomed for failure unless God be in it. -- John Edmund Haggai

Determined Digging: Level 1: Micah 6:8; Level 2: Psalm 139:7-12

Determined Praying: "A man's prayers for others are a very fair thermometer of his own religious condition. What he asks for them will largely indicate what he things best for himself; and how he asks it will show the firmness of his own faith and the fervor of his own feeling. -- Alexander MacClaren