These are scriptures that will inspire and encourage you in your prayer life. They will be added to on a continual basis. It will be helpful to read through them from time to time put fresh heart in you of how powerful prayer really is. Here is a suggestion I want to share with you that has proven helpful to me. I color code my Bible. I highlight scriptures with a sea green colored pencil that are especially related to prayer.The sea green color is a memory device I use that reminds me of spiritually coming before God's throne on that sea of glass in Heaven (Revelation 4:6). If you will do this, you will find you can go through your Bible quickly and locate these special scriptures on Prayer. I have found this to be very effective and inspiring! The Scriptures are from the KJV unless otherwise noted.
THE SCRIPTURES
"And he (Abraham) removed from thence unto a mountain on the east of Bethel, and pitched his tent, having Bethel on the west, and Hai on the east: and there he builded an altar unto the Lord, and called upon the Name of the Lord." (Genesis 12:8)
" And he went on his journeys from the south even to Bethel, unto the place where his tent had been at the beginning, between Bethel and Hai; Unto the place of the altar, which he had make there at the first: and there Abram called on the name of the Lord. (Genesis 13:3-4)
"Then Abram removed his tent, and came and dwelt in the plain of Mamre, which is in Hebron, and built there an altar unto the Lord." (Genesis 13:18)
COMMENT; Everywhere Abraham went in Caanan he built altars; to worship, saacrifice and pray before God!
" And he (Melchizedek) blessed him, and said, Blessed be Abram of the most high God, possessor of heaven and earth: And blessed (praised) be the most high God, which hath delivered thine enemies into thy hand. And he (Abraham) gave him (Melchizedek) tithes of all. (Genesis 14:19-20)
" And Abraham said unto God, O that Ishmael might live before Thee!" (Genesis 17:18)
"And he said O Lord God of my master Abraham, I PRAY thee, send me good speed this day, and shew kindness unto my master Abraham.Behold, I stand here by the well of water; and the daughters of the men of the city come out to draw water:And let it come to pass, that the damsel to whom I shall say, Let down thy pitcher, I thee, that I may drink; and she shall say, Drink, and I will give thy camels drink also: let the same be she that thou hast appointed for thy servant Isaac; and thereby shall I know that thou hast shewed kindness unto my master. And it came to pass, before he had done speaking, that, behold, Rebekah came out, who was born to Bethuel, son of Milcah, the wife of Nahor, Abraham's brother, with her pitcher upon her shoulder. And it came to pass, before he had done speaking, that, behold, Rebekah came out, who was born to Bethuel, son of Milcah, the wife of Nahor, Abraham's brother, with her pitcher upon her shoulder. And the damsel was very fair to look upon, a virgin, neither had any man known her: and she went down to the well, and filled her pitcher, and came up.And the servant ran to meet her, and said, Let me, I pray thee, drink a little water of thy pitcher. And she said, Drink, my lord: and she hasted, and let down her pitcher upon her hand, and gave him drink. And when she had done giving him drink, she said, I will draw water for thy camels also, until they have done drinking. "(Genesis 24:12-15)
COMMENT: One of the most inspiring stories in the Bible of answered prayer! We need to have the confidence that God can intervene and direct us in the same manner he did Abraham's servant!
" And I bowed down my head, and worshipped the Lord, and blessed the Lord God of my master Abraham, which had led me in the right way to take my master's brother's daughter unto his son." (Genesis 24:48)
"And Isaac intreated the Lord for his wife, because she was barren: and the Lord was intreated of him, and Rebekah his wife conceived." (Genesis 25:21)
" And Jacob was left alone; and there wrestled a man with him until the breaking of the day. And when he saw that he prevailed not against him, he touched the hollow of his thigh; and the hollow of Jacob's thigh was out of joint, as he wrestled with him And he said, Let me go, for the day breaketh. And he said, I will not let thee go, except thou bless me.
And he said unto him, What is thy name? And he said, Jacob. And he said, Thy name shall be called no more Jacob, but Israel (Prince of God): for as a prince hast thou power with God and with men, and hast PREVAILED." (Genesis 32:24-38)
COMMENT: Decide to be a "Prince of God" yourself! Determine to take hold of the promises of God and His mercy and prevail with God in Prayer! Be tenacious in your faith; never giving up! God loves that kind of faith!
"And he (Jacob) erected there an altar, and called it EleloheIsrael( God the God of Israel)." (Genesis 33:20)
COMMENT: Jacob was like his grandfather Abraham. He erected alars in his land to sacrifice to, worship and PRAY to the God of Israel.
"And it came to pass in process of time, that the king of Egypt died: and the children of Israel sighed by reason of the bondage, and they cried, and their cry came up unto God by reason of the bondage.
And God heard their groaning, and God remembered His covenant with Abraham, with Isaac, and with Jacob. And God looked upon the children of Israel, and God had respect unto them." (Exodus 2:23-25)
"And the Lord said, I have surely seen the affliction of my people which are in Egypt, and have HEARD THEIR CRY by reason of their taskmasters; for I know their sorrows;And I am come down to deliver them out of the hand of the Egyptians, and to bring them up out of that land unto a good land and a large, unto a land flowing with milk and honey; unto the place of the Canaanites, and theHittites, and the Amorites, and the Perizzites, and the Hivites, and the Jebusites.(Exodus 3:7-8)
" And the people believed: and when they heard that the Lord had visited the children of Israel, and that he had looked upon their affliction, then they bowed their heads and worshipped." (Exodus 4:31)
" Then Pharaoh called for Moses and Aaron, and said, INTREAT the Lord, that he may take away the frogs from me, and from my people; and I will let the people go, that they may do sacrifice unto the Lord. And Moses said unto Pharaoh, Glory over me: when shall I intreat for thee, and for thy servants, and for thy people, to destroy the frogs from thee and thy houses, that they may remain in the river only? (Exodus 8:8-9)
COMMENT: This is an example of INTERCESSORY PRAYER!
" And Pharaoh sent, and called for Moses and Aaron, and said unto them, I have sinned this time: the Lord is righteous, and I and my people are wicked. INTREAT the Lord (for it is enough) that there be no more mighty thunderings and hail; and I will let you go, and ye shall stay no longer. And Moses said unto him, As soon as I am gone out of the city, I will spread abroad my hands unto the Lord; and the thunder shall cease, neither shall there be any more hail; that thou mayest know how that the earth is the Lord's. But as for thee and thy servants, I know that ye will not yet fear the Lord God. And the flax and the barley was smitten: for the barley was in the ear, and the flax was bolled. But the wheat and the rie were not smitten: for they were not grown up. And Moses went out of the city from Pharaoh, and SPREAD ABROAD HIS HANDS UNTO THE LORD: and the thunders and hail ceased, and the rain was not poured upon the earth. (Exodus 9:28-33)
" Then Pharaoh called for Moses and Aaron in haste; and he said, I have sinned against the Lord your God, and against you. Now therefore forgive, I pray thee, my sin only this once, and INTREAT the Lord your God, that he may take away from me this death only. And he went out from Pharaoh, and INTREATED the Lord. And the Lord turned a mighty strong west wind, which took away the locusts, and cast them into the Red sea; there remained not one locust in all the coasts of Egypt."(Exodus 10:28-33)
"And all the congregation of the children of Israel journeyed from the wilderness of Sin, after their journeys, according to the commandment of the Lord, and pitched in Rephidim: and there was no water for the people to drink. Wherefore the people did chide with Moses, and said, Give us water that we may drink. And Moses said unto them, Why chide ye with me? wherefore do ye tempt the Lord? And the people thirsted there for water; and the people murmured against Moses, and said, Wherefore is this that thou hast brought us up out of Egypt, to kill us and our children and our cattle with thirst AND MOSES CRIED UNTO THE LORD, saying, What shall I do unto this people? they be almost ready to stone me. And the Lord said unto Moses, Go on before the people, and take with thee of the elders of Israel; and thy rod, wherewith thou smotest the river, take in thine hand, and go.Behold, I will stand before thee there upon the rock in Horeb; and thou shalt smite the rock, and there shall come water out of it, that the people may drink. And Moses did so in the sight of the elders of Israel." (Exodus 17:1-6)
" So Joshua did as Moses had said to him, and fought with Amalek: and Moses, Aaron, and Hur went up to the top of the hill. And it came to pass, when Moses held up his hand, that Israel prevailed: and when he let down his hand, Amalek prevailed. But Moses hands were heavy; and they took a stone, and put it under him, and he sat thereon; and Aaron and Hur stayed up his hands, the one on the one side, and the other on the other side; and his hands were steady until the going down of the sun. And Joshua discomfited Amalek and his people with the edge of the sword." (Exodus 17:10-13)
COMMENT: Amalek were descendants of Essau and the first enemy they faced after leaving Egypt. Amalek never ceased being an enemy of Israel. We have three major enimies as Chrisitans; the lust of the flesh, the pull of this world and our adversary Satan the Devil. Just as Essau was a picture of the fleshly man, so Amalek is symbolic of our fleshly lust that we have to battle every day. Never should forget the spiritual truth illustrated by this account. You and I can only prevail over our fleshly lusts and weakness by keeping our hands up in daily prayer! Some are losing the battle against the pulls of the flesh — as well as other problems— because they simply are not praying enough!
" If thou at all take thy neighbour's raiment to pledge, thou shalt deliver it unto him by that the sun goeth down: For that is his covering only, it is his raiment for his skin: wherein shall he sleep? and it shall come to pass, when he crieth unto Me, that I will hear; for I am gracious." (Exodus 22:26-27)
" And the Lord said unto Moses, I have seen this people, and, behold, it is a stiffnecked people: Now therefore let me alone, that my wrath may wax hot against them, and that I may consume them: and I will make of thee a great nation. And Moses besought the Lord his God, and said, Lord, why doth thy wrath wax hot against thy people, which thou hast brought forth out of the land of Egypt with great power, and with a mighty hand? Wherefore should the Egyptians speak, and say, For mischief did he bring them out, to slay them in the mountains, and to consume them from the face of the earth? Turn from thy fierce wrath, and repent of this evil against thy people. Remember Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, thy servants, to whom thou swarest by thine own self, and saidst unto them, I will multiply your seed as the stars of heaven, and all this land that I have spoken of will I give unto your seed, and they shall inherit it for ever. And the Lord repented of the evil which he thought to do unto his people." (Exodus 32:9-14)
COMMENT: THE INTERCESSORY PRAYER OF MOSES WHICH LASTED ONLY AROUND 40 SECONDS SAVED THE WHOLE NATION OF ISRAEL FROM EXTINCTION!
" And the Lord spake unto Moses, saying, Speak unto Aaron and unto his sons, saying, On this wise ye shall bless the children of Israel, saying unto them,The Lord bless thee, and keep thee: The Lord make his face shine upon thee, and be gracious unto thee: The Lord lift up his countenance upon thee, and give thee peace. And they shall put my name upon the children of Israel, and I will bless them."(Numbers 6:22-27)
" And when the people complained, it displeased the Lord: and the Lord heard it; and his anger was kindled; and the fire of the Lord burnt among them, and consumed them that were in the uttermost parts of the camp. And the people cried unto Moses; and when Moses prayed unto the Lord, the fire was quenched." (Numbers 11:1-2)
COMMENT: This is an example of INTERCESSORY PRAYER. Remember that Moses is a type of our intercessor Jesus Christ
" And the Lord said unto Moses, How long will this people provoke me? and how long will it be ere they believe me, for all the signs which I have shewed among them? I will smite them with the pestilence, and disinherit them, and will make of thee a greater nation and mightier than they. And Moses said unto the Lord, Then the Egyptians shall hear it, (for thou broughtest up this people in thy might from among them;) And they will tell it to the inhabitants of this land: for they have heard that thou Lord art among this people, that thou Lord art seen face to face, and that thy cloud standeth over them, and that thou goest before them, by day time in a pillar of a cloud, and in a pillar of fire by night. Now if thou shalt kill all this people as one man, then the nations which have heard the fame of thee will speak, saying, Because the Lord was not able to bring this people into the land which he sware unto them, therefore he hath slain them in the wilderness. And now, I beseech thee, let the power of my lord be great, according as thou hast spoken, saying, The Lord is longsuffering, and of great mercy, forgiving iniquity and transgression, and by no means clearing the guilty, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation. Pardon, I beseech thee, the iniquity of this people according unto the greatness of thy mercy, and as thou hast forgiven this people, from Egypt even until now. And the Lord said, I have pardoned according to thy word:"(Numbers 14:11-20)
COMMENT: THE INTERCESSORY PRAYER OF MOSES WHICH LASTED ONLY AROUND 45 SECONDS SAVED THE WHOLE NATION OF ISRAEL FROM EXTINCTION FOR THE SECOND TIME!
"Then spake Joshua to the Lord in the day when the Lord delivered up the Amorites before the children of Israel, and he said in the sight of Israel, Sun, stand thou still upon Gibeon; and thou, Moon, in the valley of Ajalon. And the sun stood still, and the moon stayed, until the people had avenged themselves upon their enemies. Is not this written in the book of Jasher? So the sun stood still in the midst of heaven, and hasted not to go down about a whole day. And there was no day like that before it or after it, that THE LORD HEARKEND UNTO THE VOICE OF A MAN: for the Lord fought for Israel." (Joshua 10:12-14)
" And when king Arad the Canaanite, which dwelt in the south, heard tell that Israel came by the way of the spies; then he fought against Israel, and took some of them prisoners. And Israel vowed a vow unto the Lord, and said, If thou wilt indeed deliver this people into my hand, then I will utterly destroy their cities. And the Lord hearkened to the voice of Israel, and delivered up the Canaanites; and they utterly destroyed them and their cities: and he called the name of the place Hormah." (Numbers 21:1-3)
" And Samson called unto the Lord, and said, O Lord God, remember me, I pray thee, and strengthen me, I pray thee, only this once, O God, that I may be at once avenged of the Philistines for my two eyes." (Judges 16:28)
" And she was in bitterness of soul, and PRAYED unto the Lord, and wept sore. And she vowed a vow, and said, O Lord of hosts, if thou wilt indeed look on the affliction of thine handmaid, and remember me, and not forget thine handmaid, but wilt give unto thine handmaid a man child, then I will give him unto the Lord all the days of his life, and there shall no razor come upon his head." (1 Samuel 1:10-11)
"Moreover as for me, God forbid that I should sin against the Lord in ceasing to pray for you: but I will teach you the good and the right way:" (1 Samuel 12:23)
" Seek the Lord and His strength, seek His face continually". (1 Chronicles 16:11)
" And say ye, Save us, O God of our salvation, and gather us together, and deliver us from the heathen, that we may give thanks to thy Holy Name, and glory in thy praise." (1 Chronicles 16:35)
" If my people, which are called by My mame, 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." (2 Chronicles 7:14)
" And Jehoshaphat FEARED , and set himself to SEEK THE LORD , and PROCLAIMED A FAST throughout all Judah. And Judah gathered themselves together,TO ASK HELP OF THE LORD : even out of all the cities of Judah THEY CAME TO SEEK THE LORD." (2 Chronicles 20:3-4)
" Nevertheless we made our prayer unto our God, and set a watch against them day and night, because of them." (Nehemiah 4:9)
" My voice shalt thou hear in the morning, O Lord; in the morning will I direct my prayer unto Thee, and will look up." (Psalms 5:3)
"When thou saidst, Seek ye my face; my heart said unto thee, Thy face, Lord, will I seek." (Psalms 27:8)
" Be merciful unto me, O Lord: for I cry unto thee daily." (Psalms 86:3)
"But I, O Lord, have cried out to You for help, And in the morning my prayer comes before You" (Psalms 88:13 NASB)
I will lift up mine eyes unto the hills, from whence cometh my help. My help cometh from the Lord, which made heaven and earth. He will not suffer thy foot to be moved: he that keepeth thee will not slumber. Behold, He that keepeth Israel shall neither slumber nor sleep. The Lord is thy keeper: the Lord is thy shade upon thy right hand. The sun shall not smite thee by day, nor the moon by night. The Lord shall preserve thee from all evil: He shall preserve thy soul.
The Lord shall preserve thy going out and thy coming in from this time forth, and even for evermore (Psalms 121:1-8)
COMMENT: This is a wonderful promise of PROTECTION! Notice that the promise also is for us when we TRAVEL! We should lift up our eyes in prayer as David did and strengthen ourselves in God's Promises!
" Let my prayer be set forth before thee as incense; and the lifting up of my hands as the evening sacrifice." (Psalms 141:2)
" I cried unto the Lord with my voice; with my voice unto the Lord did I make my supplication. I poured out my complaint before Him; I shewed before Him my trouble. (Psalms 142:1-2)
" I cried unto thee, O Lord: I said, Thou art my refuge and my portion in the land of the living. Attend unto my cry; for I am brought very low: deliver me from my persecutors; for they are stronger than I. Bring my soul out of prison, that I may praise thy name: the righteous shall compass me about; for thou shalt deal bountifully with me." (Psalms 142:5-7)
"Let me hear Your lovingkindness in the morning;For I trust in You;Teach me the way in which I should walk;For to You I lift up my soul." (Psalms 143:8)
"Let us lift up our heart with our hands unto God in the heavens." (Lamentations 3:41)
" I called upon thy name, O Lord, out of the low dungeon.Thou hast heard my voice: hide not thine ear at my breathing, at my cry. Thou drewest near in the day that I called upon thee: thou saidst, Fear not. O Lord, thou hast pleaded the causes of my soul; thou hast redeemed my life." (Lamentations 3:55-58)
"And when thou prayest, thou shalt not be as the hypocrites are: for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and in the corners of the streets, that they may be seen of men. Verily I say unto you, They have their reward. But thou, when thou prayest, enter into thy closet, and when thou hast shut thy door, pray to thy Father which is in secret; and thy Father which seeth in secret shall reward thee openly. But when ye pray, use not vain repetitions, as the heathen do: for they think that they shall be heard for their much speaki Be not ye therefore like unto them: for your Father knoweth what things ye have need of, before ye ask him.
After this manner therefore pray ye: Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name.Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil: For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever. Amen." (Matthew 6:5-13)
COMMENT: This a outline or framework that Christ gave us as a guide to organize our prayers more effectivly. It was not intended to be used as a memorized prayer or rote of needing to repeat the same words over and over. I would recommend that you download and study this excellent Bible Lesson on how to use this guideline Christ gave us in Matthew 6:5-13 and Luke 11:1-4. Simply click on this link: Reaping the Blessings( A Bible Lesson on how to pray effectively using Christ's instructions)
"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. Or what man is there of you, whom if his son ask bread, will he give him a stone? or if he ask a fish, will he give him a serpent? If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children, how much more shall your Father which is in heaven give good things to them that ask him?" (Matthew 7:7-11)
" Then saith he unto his disciples, The harvest truly is plenteous, but the labourers are few; Pray ye therefore the Lord of the harvest, that he will send forth labourers into his harvest."(Matthew 9:37-39)
" And when He had sent the multitudes away, He went up into a mountain apart to pray: and when the evening was come, He was there alone." (Matthew 14:23)
" And, behold, two blind men sitting by the way side, when they heard that Jesus passed by, cried out, saying, Have mercy on us, O Lord, thou son of David.And the multitude rebuked them, because they should hold their peace: but they cried the more, saying, Have mercy on us, O Lord, thou son of David.And Jesus stood still, and called them, and said, What will ye that I shall do unto you?They say unto him, Lord, that our eyes may be opened. So Jesus had compassion on them, and touched their eyes: and immediately their eyes received sight, and they followed him." (Matthew 20:30-34)
COMMENT; You will notice many, many times when Christ was moved by compassion to heal and help others with their problems and weaknesses. You should learn in your prayers to appeal to Christ's mercy and compassion, as well as His promises. Remember it tells us in Micah 7:18 "-He dilighteth in Mercy"!
" Jesus answered and said unto them, Verily I say unto you, If ye have faith, and doubt not, ye shall not only do this which is done to the fig tree, but also if ye shall say unto this mountain, Be thou removed, and be thou cast into the sea; it shall be done. And all things, whatsoever ye shall ask in prayer, believing, ye shall receive. (Matthew 21:21-22)
But pray ye that your flight be not in the winter, neither on the Sabbath day: For then shall be great tribulation, such as was not since the beginning of the world to this time, no, nor ever shall be. (Matthew 24:20-21)
" Then cometh Jesus with them unto a place called Gethsemane, and saith unto the disciples, Sit ye here, while I go and Pray yonder. And He took with him Peter and the two sons of Zebedee, and began to be sorrowful and very heavy. Then saith He unto them, My soul is exceeding sorrowful, even unto death: tarry ye here, and watch with me. And He went a little farther, and fell on his face, and prayed, saying, O my Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from Me: nevertheless not as I will, but as Thou wilt. And He cometh unto the disciples, and findeth them asleep, and saith unto Peter, What, could ye not watch with Me one hour? Watch and pray, that ye enter not into temptation (trial): the spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak. He went away again the second time, and prayed, saying, O my Father, if this cup may not pass away from me, except I drink it, Thy will be done. And He came and found them asleep again: for their eyes were heavy. And He left them, and went away again, and prayed the third time, saying the same words. Then cometh He to his disciples, and saith unto them, Sleep on now, and take your rest: behold, the hour is at hand, and the Son of man is betrayed into the hands of sinners. Rise, let us be going: behold, he is at hand that doth betray me." (Matthew 26:36-46)
COMMENT; Christ encourages here to pray that we not enter into trial or temptation. Christ told us in His "prayer outline" in Luke 11:4 -"And lead us not into temptation; but deliver us from evil." The Greek word for temptation can mean "sore trial". We need to pray every day to be able to be delivered from those type of trials if it is God's Will. We will never be able to avoid all trials, but Christ does encourage us to pray these words! Sometimes our failure to pray causes us to lack the strength we need that would have enabled us to avoid certain trials. Sometimes the trials become more severe because we don't pray and have the spiritual strenghth to surmount them. We have to believe that our prayers really CAN make a difference!
" And in the morning, rising up a great while before day, He (Jesus) went out, and departed into a solitary place, and there prayed." Mark 1:31
"And when he was come into the house, his disciples asked him privately, Why could not we cast him out? And he said unto them, This kind can come forth by nothing, but by prayer and fasting."(Mark 9:28-39)
" And the whole multitude of the people were praying without at the time of incense." (Luke 1:10)
"And she was a widow of about fourscore and four years, which departed not from the temple, but served God with fastings and prayers night and day.(Luke 2:37)
"And He withdrew himself into the wilderness, and prayed."( Luke 5:16)
" And it came to pass in those days, that He went out into a mountain to pray, and continued all night in prayer to God." (Luke 6:12)
" Bless them that curse you, and pray for them which despitefully use you." (Luke 6:28)
" And it came to pass, as He was alone praying, his disciples were with Him: and He asked them, saying, Whom say the people that I am?" (Luke 9:18)
" And it came to pass about an eight days after these sayings, He took Peter and John and James, and went up into a mountain to pray. And as He prayed, the fashion of His countenance was altered, and His raiment was white and glistering." (Luke 9:28-29)
" Therefore said He unto them, The harvest truly is great, but the labourers are few: PRAY ye therefore the Lord of the harvest, that He would send forth labourers into His harvest. (Luke 10:2)
" And it came to pass, that, as he was praying in a certain place, when he ceased, one of his disciples said unto him, Lord, teach us to pray, as John also taught his disciples. And he said unto them, When ye pray, say, Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done, as in heaven, so in earth. Give us day by day our daily bread. And forgive us our sins; for we also forgive every one that is indebted to us. And lead us not into temptation; but deliver us from evil."(Luke 11:1-4)
COMMENT: This a outline or framework that Christ gave us as a guide to organize our prayers more effectively.. It was not intended to be used as a memorized prayer or rote of needing to repeat the same words over and over. I would recommend that you study this excellent Lesson on how to use this guideline Christ gave us in Matthew 6:5-13 and Luke 11:1-4. Simply click on this link: Reaping the Blessings( A Bible Lesson on how to pray effectvily using Christ's instructions)
"And He spake a parable unto them to this end, that men ought always to pray, and not to faint; Saying, There was in a city a judge, which feared not God, neither regarded man: And there was a widow in that city; and she came unto him, saying, Avenge me of mine adversary. And he would not for a while: but afterward he said within himself, Though I fear not God, nor regard man; Yet because this widow troubleth me, I will avenge her, lest by her continual coming she weary me. And the Lord said, Hear what the unjust judge saith. And shall not God avenge his own elect, which cry day and night unto him, though he bear long with them? I tell you that he will avenge them speedily. Nevertheless when the Son of man cometh, shall He find faith on the earth?"(Luke 18:1-8)
COMMENT: The Greek in Luke 18:1 more accurately reads " And He told them a parable to the effect that they ought always to pray and "NOT LOSE HEART" (ESV)
"And the Lord said, Simon, Simon, behold, Satan hath desired to have you, that he may sift you as wheat: But I have prayed for thee, that thy faith fail not: and when thou art converted, strengthen thy brethren." ( Luke 21:31-32)
COMMENT: It tells us in Hebrews 7:25, " Wherefore He is able also to save them to the uttermost that come unto God by Him, seeing HE EVER LIVETH TO MAKE INTERCESSION FOR THEM." Be encouraged to know that Christ prays for you — as He did for Peter — at God's Throne!
" Watch ye therefore, and PRAY ALWAYS, that ye may be accounted worthy to escape all these things that shall come to pass, and to stand before the Son of man." (Luke 21:36)
" And when they were come in, they went up into an upper room, where abode both Peter, and James, and John, and Andrew, Philip, and Thomas, Bartholomew, and Matthew, James the son of Alphaeus, and Simon Zelotes, and Judas the brother of James. These all continued with one accord in prayer and supplication, with the women, and Mary the mother of Jesus, and with his brethren." (Acts 1:13-14)
"And they prayed, and said, Thou, Lord, which knowest the hearts of all men, shew whether of these two thou hast chosen, That he may take part of this ministry and apostleship, from which Judas by transgression fell, that he might go to his own place. And they gave forth their lots; and the lot fell upon Matthias; and he was numbered with the eleven apostles." (Acts 1:24-26)
"Now I PRAY to God that ye do no evil; not that we should appear approved, but that ye should do that which is honest, though we be as reprobates."(2 Corinthians 13:7)
" Now unto Him that is able to do EXCEEDINGLY ABUNDANTLY above all that we ASK or think, according to the power that worketh in us, Unto Him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus throughout all ages, world without end. Amen."(Ephesians 3:20-21)
"For we have not an high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities; but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin. Let us therefore come BOLDLY unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need." (Hebrew 4:15-16)
Having therefore, brethren, boldness to enter into the holiest by the blood of Jesus, By a new and living way, which he hath consecrated for us, through the veil, that is to say, his flesh; And having an high priest over the house of God; Let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience, and our bodies washed with pure water." (Hebrews 10:19-22)
" Wherefore lift up the hands which hang down, and the feeble knees;" (Hebrews 12:12)
" But let him ask in faith, nothing wavering. For he that wavereth is like a wave of the sea driven with the wind and tossed." (James 1:6)
"Is any among you afflicted? let him PRAY. Is any merry? let him sing psalms.is any sick among you? let him call for the elders of the church; and let them PRAY over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord: And the PRAYER of faith shall save the sick, and the Lord shall raise him up; and if he have committed sins, they shall be forgiven him. Confess your faults one to another, and PRAY one for another, that ye may be healed. The effectual fervent PRAYER of a righteous man availeth much.Elias was a man subject to like passions as we are, and he PRAYED earnestly that it might not rain: and it rained not on the earth by the space of three years and six months. And he PRAYED again, and the heaven gave rain, and the earth brought forth her fruit.":(James 5:13-18)
(To Be Continued!)
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