The Privilege and Power
Of Prayer

The Privilege and Power of Prayer

by Wayne Dailey
Senior Pastor, Bethel Revival Center
43 Norwood St.
Everett, MA 02149

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Is your track record pretty good on getting answers to prayer? Answered prayer — this is one of the things that a Christian should expect.

Prayer was instituted by God way back in the book of Genesis:

Genesis 4:26
And to Seth, to him also there was born a son; and he called his name Enos: then began men to call upon the name of the LORD.

Way back then people learned they could pray and call on God and that He would answer!

Isn't it wonderful to know that God is right there? He's there when we need Him and He's there when we don't need Him. He is just always there. All we have to do is call upon Him, and He'll be there to answer.

Ask ... Seek ... Knock

Matthew 7:7,8
Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you: for every one that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened.

Here we find a very simple promise. How can one fail when they claim a promise that guarantees an answer? If they merely ask, it shall be given them; if they seek, they shall find; and if they but knock, it shall be opened unto them.

The promise may seem simple, but what a great promise it really is. It's a promise that encourages us to pray.

Asking

The simple thing of asking. Prayer is a matter of talking with God about the thing that's on our hearts. And many times it's a matter of asking, seeking, or knocking.

Now, your prayer closet isn't some place where you barge in to make demands: "God, Here I am! This is what I want."

When I pray, I come into God's presence praising Him. I come thanking Him. I come worshipping Him, telling Him how wonderful He is and how good He is to me.

Psalm 100:4
Enter into His gates with thanksgiving, and into His courts with praise: be thankful unto Him, and bless His name.

Before getting down to the business of the things you want to talk with God about, worship and praise Him. Offer up thanksgiving, glorying in Him. It's good to take time to just glory in His goodness, glory in His mercies, glory in how He has blessed your life.

This is the right focus when we step aside to pray. Prayer is a matter of getting into the presence of God, where you can really feel at peace to ask Him to do something in the name of Jesus Christ.

Three things to do: Ask! Seek! and Knock!

Seeking

What does it mean to seek the Lord? You need to seek Him concerning that which you are praying about — seeking until you have the answer. This is a little different than merely asking. To seek the Lord is to take time to seek out from Him. This usually isn't accomplished in one prayer meeting. It may take days, or weeks, or even longer: seeking the whole matter out carefully, in detail, until you're satisfied.

Seeking is continuous until you find. You may seek God about something today and come back again and again in the days ahead to seek further, because you're not fully persuaded that you've prayed through.

Seeking takes time. You may ask God in a breath or two for something and leave it at that, but seeking Him requires more of you.

Now, the promise is there. It's three-fold. It's a good promise, and it's to be claimed. It's a promise to be used in prayer, "God You said . . ."

Yes, we can put our faith in what God has said in His Word. When we pray, we can base our prayers on His promises.

Prayer is more than asking, more than seeking, more than knocking. Prayer is almost an art. We learn to pray simply by praying.

Do You pray?

Yet people have many excuses for not praying. They feel there is no need to pray, or that they have no time to pray, or that they don't want to bother God. But the truth is that they don't WANT to pray! Lots of Christians don't have any appreciation of the depths that one can enjoy in the Lord when they have a prayer life.

What about you? I don't know how much you pray. I don't follow you around to listen (and if I did, what good would it do? It's God you're talking to when you pray, and it's God who will answer).

Be honest with yourself. Are you a praying person? How often do you pray: once a week, once every two weeks? Or do you pray every day? Do you have a time in your life that you set aside specifically to pray — a time where you give yourself to prayer, give yourself to a prayer habit?

I think it's important that we learn to pray. I would encourage you to pray every day. If you're not in the place of being a praying person, you're missing something.

A Place of Fellowship with God

Prayer is more than asking God for something. Prayer is part of having a personal relationship with Him. When you give yourself over to consistent prayer, it develops into a fellowship with God.

Prayer gives one a lot of confidence in the Lord. It makes their relationship with the Lord become more and more personal — one on one with Him. When you get alone in your prayer closet, shut in with God — just you and Him — that's the kind of prayer relationship that's very personal.

Prayer is also a place of worship, where you can worship the Lord from your heart, thanking and praising Him. It's a place where you can give yourself over to drawing closer to Him.

James 4:8a
Draw nigh to God, and He will draw nigh to you.

I don't know what part prayer has in your life; but I do know you should have a devoted, consistent prayer life.

How Long Should I Pray?

How long should we pray? I can't put a time on prayer. How long does it take to pray? When I go to pray, I want to pray until I'm thoroughly satisfied, so I take time to pray until I feel I've prayed through. To pray through is to take an issue, something you feel the need to pray about, and start to really pray about it. Don't skim over it; don't just gloss it over. Really pray about it.

Many aren't particular when they pray. They mention things in a hurry and then go on to something else.

Don't be in such a hurry. Take time to really pray about what's on your heart. Get down to praying about it and seeking it out.

Now, everyone doesn't pray exactly the same way. There's no set pattern to prayer, where you have to pray like I pray or pray like someone else prays.

Be sure there's nothing to interrupt you when you step aside to pray. Certainly don't take your phone in with you when you go to pray! And neither take everything that's on your mind for the day. That's not praying through! When your mind is all cumbered down with other things and you go to pray, your mind is running one program while your heart is trying to run another. Your mind is up there in your head trying to buzz away on all those things while down in your heart you're sincere with God in wanting to cry out to Him. You have to get past that place.

What Time of Day to Pray?

This is one of the reasons why I say it's good to have a set prayer time, a quiet time when you can shut all else out and get completely alone with the Lord.

The morning is usually the best time to pray, before all the rush of the day begins. But some can't get alone early so they have to find time later on in the day or at night. The important thing is to find a time when you can get alone, when you're not trying to beat the clock.

Many good things will come to you when you become consistent in your prayer life. Your life will take a turn for the better.

God Seeks Our Fellowship

Wouldn't it be strange as a Christian if God wouldn't talk with you? Wouldn't it be strange if He could care less if you wanted to spend time with Him? He'd call you His son or His daughter yet turn around to say, "Get out of here! I don't have time for you" (like many moms and dads do).

God invites us to talk with Him in prayer. He seeks our fellowship. He seeks our face in our prayer closet. He wants us there. He wants that time alone with us. He wants us to learn to pray, and He'll help us if we'll but take the time.

Some don't pray until something awful happens. When they get in serious trouble, that's when they'll pray. When they hurt and can't take the pain much longer, then they'll pray. But in between such times, days and weeks can go by when they don't see any need to pray.

Listen, prayer is a privilege. We have many things we should seek out from God. Prayer is meant to be a great part of what keeps us going on with the Lord, making our Christian life to stand faithful and abound.

Knocking

Now, the third thing we're encouraged to do is to knock. Knocking is normally associated with wanting a door to be opened for us. There's a door before us. Something is on this side of the door, and something is on the other side. Some doors are closed, while others are opened.

Did you ever try to walk through a closed door? Doors are a passage to enter in or to go out, but they have to be opened before one can pass through.

Many get frustrated and discouraged trying to do something that God isn't in, something God hasn't called them for. What can we really do for the Lord if He doesn't open the door? Without Him opening the door, we could knock and knock and knock, but we will not be able to get through.

There are doors that only God can open. Nobody else can open such doors to you. Those doors are totally under the control of God. And God will open them if it is His will.

If He isn't going to open that door to you, you can beat your knuckles sore day after day, but it will remain shut.

So doors are important. And knocking is an important part of one's prayer life.

Often doors have some form of a lock to prevent them from being opened without a key. That key is like a badge of authority. I use MY key to open MY car. You can't use your key to open my car. Your key is only able to open your car.

The one who has the key is the one who generally has the right to go through the door whose lock the key fits. That door is open to the one who has the key and closed to the one who doesn't have the key.

Locks serve their purpose, as do keys. (Always remember this rule about a lock, though. It doesn't matter how well a lock is made, they are only able to keep the honest people out. A thief will usually find some way to get past that lock.)

But we are looking right now at those doors that open without an earthly key. They can't even be pried open with a jimmy bar. The only key that open such a door is one's prayer life.

You can become effective in knocking and getting such a door opened to you when you know what to ask for when you knock. This is what God was speaking about when He told us to knock and it shall be opened unto us. He was referring to a door of opportunity being opened to us by Him.

When God opens a door for you to do something for Him, He will make the way, He will direct your heart, and He will make it possible for you to go do that very thing.

The Bible talks a lot about doors being opened. It's good to know those portions of Scripture so you will know what you're doing when you go to knock in your prayer closet.

A Door of Faith

Acts 13:2
As they ministered to the Lord, and fasted, the Holy Ghost said, Separate Me Barnabas and Saul for the work whereunto I have called them.

This happened at the church in Antioch. The church fasted and prayed and then sent Barnabas and Saul away on their first missionary journey.

Acts 14:27
And when they were come, and had gathered the church together, they rehearsed all that God had done with them, and how He had opened the door of faith unto the Gentiles.

The Door of Faith! What would this door be? God opened the door of faith, giving them an opportunity to minister unto the Gentiles. And many souls got saved because that door was opened unto them. As they went from city to city, they found the door was opened to enter in and preach and win souls. Many churches were formed as the result.

We need such a door of faith opened in this day: Knock, and it shall be opened. You may not be a preacher, but you can certainly pray that the door to revival be opened in these last days.

Now, doors don't open automatically. God has to be in it. It has to be the work of the Spirit of God to open those doors and to keep them open.

I Corinthians 16:9
For a great door and effectual is opened unto me, and there are many adversaries.

Way on down the road in his life and ministry, Paul was writing to the church at Corinth of how a great door was opened unto him, a tremendous opportunity to labor for the Lord. This great door was effectual, accomplishing a lot through his labors. God was working with him and went before him to open this door.

The Corinthians well knew what it was for God to open a great and effectual door. Paul had gone to Corinth with much fear and trembling. It wasn't safe for a man to pass through there. But Paul went in obedience to the call of God, and God was with him as he went.

Acts 18:9,10
Then spake the Lord to Paul in the night by a vision, Be not afraid, but speak, and hold not thy peace: for I am with thee, and no man shall set on thee to hurt thee: for I have much people in this city.

Paul stayed at Corinth for a year and six months, turning many to the Lord. That was a great door opened unto him, and God was right there with a ready harvest. Paul couldn't see the harvest with his eyes, but God knew it was there. He told Paul, "I have much people in this city." He knew who He would win. He knew who would turn to Him through Paul's labor.

Acts 16:6,7
Now when they had gone throughout Phrygia and the region of Galatia, and were forbidden of the Holy Ghost to preach the word in Asia, after they were come to Mysia, they assayed to go into Bithynia: but the Spirit suffered them not.

Paul realized he'd best stop and wait for God to open the door He wanted him to enter. While waiting, he had a vision in the night that revealed God was about to open an entirely new door!

Acts 16:9,10
And a vision appeared to Paul in the night; There stood a man of Macedonia, and prayed him, saying, Come over into Macedonia, and help us. And after he had seen the vision, immediately we endeavoured to go into Macedonia, assuredly gathering that the Lord had called us for to preach the gospel unto them.

They didn't waste any time in going through this open door. And what a fruitful place they found. The door was opened from above, and, therefore, God would be with them as they went into those hard places. The power of the Holy Ghost was there to work signs and wonders and miracles. All the resources necessary to do the job were given them.

Understand that God has to open the door. He has eyes to see where the fields are white unto harvest, and He knows when to send the reapers in, when to send the soul-winners in.

Yes, God knows when it's time to move, and He also knows when it's time to wait. We have to conclude that we need to wait on Him, trusting Him to open the door when it is His time.

Colossians 4:3,4
Withal praying also for us, that God would open unto us a door of utterance, to speak the mystery of Christ, for which I am also in bonds: that I may make it manifest, as I ought to speak.

Paul was in prison here for the sake of the Gospel, yet the burden was still with him to reach out to souls with the Gospel. He asked the believers to pray for God to open a door of utterance.

Don't you have a part somewhere in these things? You may not be a preacher, but don't you have a part somewhere in the work of God? Are you sending any prayers to the Lord for open doors?

I Thessalonians 5:24,25
Faithful is He that calleth you, who also will do it. Brethren, pray for us.

When you begin knocking on the door, maintain your faith. Hold that faith consistently. Don't allow yourself to doubt God.

Now, if God is going to open a door, we've got to be prepared to enter, prepared to respond and move. We can't be bogged down, tied down, sitting down. If God gives us something to do and opens the door, we've got to rise up and enter into it.

Persistence in Faith and Prayer

Understand that great things will happen when someone will ask; someone will seek; someone will knock; someone will show faith and hang on, no matter what it looks like. They know the Lord has said it, and they hold on to that and pray the door open.

Days and days and days may go by where they're still knocking, still holding on to God. They know God's will, and they're going to be believe God and pray for His will to come to pass.

You never know when God is about to move, and it's important to be ready when the answer comes. You've got to stand and hold on in prayer.

Psalm 27:8
When Thou saidst, Seek ye My face; My heart said unto Thee, Thy face, LORD, will I seek.

In seeking God, it's not just seeking for Him to do something; there is also the realm of seeking Him: as we see in Psalm 27, where the Lord told David to seek His face, and David's heart responded, "Thy face, Lord, will I seek."

What do we generally do when we're wanting to get in touch with someone? We seek to see them or hear from them. In other words, God was saying to seek Him, seek His presence: seek to be nearer, to be closer. Seek His face.

Proverbs 8:17
I love them that love Me; and those that seek Me early shall find Me.