Word for the Day March 8
By: Evang. Cascille Hammack
"Elijah
was a man just like us. He prayed earnestly that it would not rain, and it did not rain on the land for three and half
years. Again he prayed, and the heavens gave rain, and the earth produced its crops." James 5:17,18
Our prayers bring us near to God and bring us into fellowship with Him. He expects us to pray.
By prayer, we maintain our relationship with God. Jesus commanded us to pray (Mt.26:41, Luke 18:1, John 16:24).
Jesus said, "Whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours." Mark
11:24 To the father of the demon possessed boy, He said, "Everything is possible to him who believes."
Mark 9:23 James encourages us to "believe and not doubt." James 1:6
We must be persistent
in prayer. Only as long as Moses persevered in prayer with his hands lifted toward God were the Israelites successful
in their battle against the Amalekites (Ex.17:11). After Elijah received the prophetic word that rain was coming, he
persisted in prayer until it came (1 Ki 18:41-45). We must be persistant in prayer.
The Word is filled with examples
of powerful and effective prayers. We must have a holy desire to pray and faith to receive what we ask of the Lord.
Press in and pray today. Right now talk to the Lord. He knows your heart and longs to hear from you. He
is waiting to reward those who diligently seek Him. Do not let anything hinder your prayers and your time of talking
to God and listening to Him. We spend time with those we love. Show God your love for Him by talking to Him and
listening to Him. Can you imagine standing in a room all day with your heart filled with love for someone, watching
them intently and waiting for them to acknowlege you and speak to you, only to have them completely ignore you? That
is how God feels when we do not pray. A few days ago I was in a place where I saw someone I cared about and I was standing
very near them. I kept looking at them for them to acknowlege that they saw me but it was like she purposely looked
around me and would not look at me. She ignored me. The kindness I had in my heart and love for her
and willingness to bless her was ignored by her. This hurts. This is how God feels when we ignore Him.
He is there waiting to hear from us. How disappointing and painful it is to be ignored by those you love.
If you don't feel close to God, guess who moved???
"The prayers of a righteous man are powerful and effective."
James 5:16