Praying Powerful Prayers
1 Kings 8:37-40
Jim Davis
Prayer begins with facing the personal issues of my own heart regardless of
the circumstances I find myself in. Solomon’s prayer, as he dedicates the
temple he built, reveals that effective prayers begin with understanding the
affliction of one’s own heart.
1 Kings 8:35-40
35 "When the heavens are shut up and there is
no rain because your people have sinned against you, and when they pray
toward this place and confess your name and turn from their sin because you
have afflicted them, 36 then hear from heaven and forgive the sin of your
servants, your people Israel. Teach them the right way to live, and send
rain on the land you gave your people for an inheritance.
37 "When
famine or plague comes to the land, or blight or mildew, locusts or
grasshoppers, or when an enemy besieges them in any of their cities,
whatever disaster or disease may come, 38 and when a prayer or plea is made
by any of your people Israel — each one aware of the afflictions of his own
heart, and spreading out his hands toward this temple— 39 then hear from
heaven, your dwelling place. Forgive and act; deal with each man according
to all he does, since you know his heart (for you alone know the hearts of
all men), 40 so that they will fear you all the time they live in the land
you gave our fathers. NIV
The calamities Solomon speaks of in the foregoing verses refer to the
kind of things God used to discipline Israel when she became unfaithful.
In seeking relief for Israel through prayer, it is essential that each
person praying first understand how the issues of his/her own heart have
brought God’s discipline. Solomon knew each Israelite must realize how the
battles raging in his/her own heart play a major role in God’s judgment
against Israel. I can’t just pray for national healing. I must recognize how
the issues of my heart affect the national scene. After all God’s judgment
of nations is personal and up close as he considers the mood of every heart.
Moses writes, “The LORD saw how great man's wickedness on the earth had
become, and that every inclination of the thoughts of his heart was only
evil all the time” (Gen 6:5
NIV). God came in judgment because of the thoughts of men’s hearts. God came
in judgment saving only Noah and his family. Prayers in times like these
require each person to deal with the personal issues of his/her heart.
God can use one person willing to deal with the afflictions of his/her
own heart to turn the world around. We are left to believe that the
government or the church can turn things around, but not I. Believe it or
not the Bible abounds with examples of how one person who is willing to face
the afflictions of his/her own heart is capable of turning the world
around. Trace biblical genealogy through—Seth—Noah—Abraham—Sarah—Joseph—Jochebed
(Moses’ mother)—Joshua—Rahab--David—Esther—Nehemiah—Mary—Jesus. God uses
each one to change the course of human history as they literally wrestle
with God’s ways in their personal affliction.
God is so up close and personal that he can even use you as you
struggle with the afflictions of your own heart to turn the world around.
The Bible is clear. It is little wonder Solomon asks God to hear
those who understand and wrestle with the issues of their own hearts.
Prayer begins with my desire for God to rule in my heart.
Jesus instructs his disciples to pray for God’s kingdom to come on earth as
it is in heaven. Yet, praying for God’s rule to come on earth as it is in
heaven begins with my desire for God to rule in my heart. I must deal with
my personal sin and temptations. Jesus instructs his disciples to pray for
personal forgiveness as they deal with their need to forgive their enemies.
Forgiveness is a reality for those willing extend forgiveness. God will hear
the prayer of a sinner who is willing to deal with the issues of his/her own
heart.
The Bible Is Replete with Examples
Nehemiah lived in a time when Israel found herself troubled and
disgraced as God’s judgment came because their disobedience. As
Nehemiah prays for Israel he is aware that his personal sins helped bring
the trouble and disgrace. He cries out saying, “I confess the sins we
Israelites, including myself and my father's house, have committed against
you.” Listen to Nehemiah’s prayer.
Nehemiah 1:5-7
"O LORD, God of heaven, the great and awesome God, who keeps his covenant of
love with those who love him and obey his commands, 6 let your ear be
attentive and your eyes open to hear the prayer your servant is praying
before you day and night for your servants, the people of Israel. I confess
the sins we Israelites, including myself and my father's house, have
committed against you. 7 We have acted very wickedly toward you. We have
not obeyed the commands, decrees and laws you gave your servant Moses. NIV
Understanding the affliction of his own heart is the very basis of
Nehemiah’s prayer. Daniel also understands the role the afflictions
of his own heart played in God leading Israel into Babylonian captivity.
Daniel 9:4-11
"O Lord, the great and awesome God, who keeps his covenant of love with all
who love him and obey his commands, 5 we have sinned and done wrong.
We have been wicked and have rebelled; we have turned away from your
commands and laws. 6 We have not listened to your servants the prophets,
who spoke in your name to our kings, our princes and our fathers, and to all
the people of the land.
7 "Lord, you are righteous, but this day we are covered with shame — the men
of Judah and people of Jerusalem and all Israel, both near and far, in all
the countries where you have scattered us because of our unfaithfulness to
you. 8 O LORD, we and our kings, our princes and our fathers are covered
with shame because we have sinned against you. 9 The Lord our God is
merciful and forgiving, even though we have rebelled against him; 10 we have
not obeyed the LORD our God or kept the laws he gave us through his servants
the prophets. 11 All Israel has transgressed your law and turned away,
refusing to obey you. NIV
The book of Ruth is written during the biblical period when judges ruled.
This period of Israel’s history is comparable to the Dark Ages. God is
judging Israel for her disobedience. We see Naomi and Ruth struggle in the
midst of God’s judgment. Naomi cries out:
Ruth 1:20-21
"Don't call me Naomi," she told them. "Call me Mara, because the Almighty
has made my life very bitter. 21 I went away full, but the LORD has brought
me back empty. Why call me Naomi? The LORD has afflicted me; the Almighty
has brought misfortune upon me." NIV
God’s judgment is up close and personal for Naomi and Ruth. In
it all Naomi feels the weight of God’s judgment on Israel in her personal
life. She is bitter. She is dealing with the issues of her own heart. In
Naomi’s bitterness she understood the affliction of her own heart. She also
understood something about the presence of God to salvage her life in the
midst of her affliction. She allows God’s word to lead her in the right
direction. In her bitterness Naomi instructs Ruth to follow God’s law. Her
husband was dead and the Law of Moses provided for widows. The next of kin
is responsible for taking her as his wife. Naomi instructs her through the
process of finding a husband—Boaz.
I have a picture hanging on the wall in my home. It is a picture of three
women gleaning from a harvested field. It was God’s law that what was left
behind after the harvest was for the needy. The needy would come and pick
up—glean—what was left. This is the backdrop for the picture, as well as
Naomi’s and Ruth’s life. Ruth was left to glean to in Boaz’s fields for
survival after her husband’s death. In the end Ruth marries Boaz. She
becomes the mother of Obed, who is the father of Jessie, who is the father
of King David upon whose throne Jesus Christ reigns today. Each time I look
at the picture I am reminded how God provided for Ruth and Naomi as they
dealt with the bitter affliction of their own hearts in a very dark period
of Israel’s history.
The World Is A Very Personal Place to Live
A worldview that excludes my place in the scheme of things is a tragic
mistake. I must experience God’s personal salvation as I struggle
with the affliction of my own heart. The world is a very personal place to
live. The easiest thing in the world to do is to lose sight of myself. There
is no way I can view the world stage or the national stage or the community
I live in or the condition of my own family, or the church correctly without
understanding the influence that the afflictions of my own heart have on
each for good or bad.
The Old Testament is the backdrop for New Testament teaching.
The knowledge and wisdom revealed in the New Testament comes straight from
the writers understanding of the Old Testament. The New Testament comes into
existence as the writers grapple with what is taught in the Old Testament as
they face the issues of their hearts. In many ways the New Testament is
simply Old Testament teaching made very personal. The New Testament is the
message of the Old Testament encapsulated and personalized for each human
heart.
The first Christians were taught to deal with the issues of their own hearts
before setting out to change the world. Jesus teaches them how the smallest
amount of leaven has the power to leaven the whole loaf. They are taught the
power of the small mustard seed to grow into a tree for birds to nest. They
are taught to deal with their greed, unforgiveness, pride, sexual
immorality, etc., before trying to salvage the world.
James sums up the heart of the world’s problems, yea, the church’s
problem; it has to do with the battle raging in my heart.
James 4:1-10
4:1 What causes fights and quarrels among you? Don't they come from your
desires that battle within you? 2 You want something but don't get it. You
kill and covet, but you cannot have what you want. You quarrel and fight.
You do not have, because you do not ask God. 3 When you ask, you do not
receive, because you ask with wrong motives, that you may spend what you get
on your pleasures.
4 You adulterous people, don't you know that friendship with the world is
hatred toward God? Anyone who chooses to be a friend of the world becomes an
enemy of God. 5 Or do you think Scripture says without reason that the
spirit he caused to live in us envies intensely? 6 But he gives us more
grace. That is why Scripture says:
"God opposes the proud
but gives grace to the humble."
7 Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from
you. 8 Come near to God and he will come near to you. Wash your hands, you
sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded. 9 Grieve, mourn and
wail. Change your laughter to mourning and your joy to gloom. 10 Humble
yourselves before the Lord, and he will lift you up. NIV
James’ message comes from the very heart of Old Testament scriptures
as he deals with the selfish battles raging in the hearts of Christians.
The source of the world’s problems lies in the heart of each of us. Teachers
of the first century sought to change the only thing in the world worth
changing—the hearts of people one heart at a time.
Conclusion:
We Are Not Left Powerless.
There is nothing wrong with focusing on self for the purpose
of disciplining our personal lives as we deal with the afflictions of our
own hearts. It has the potential to change the world. God gives us a spirit
of power to discipline our own hearts as the Holy Spirit leads us to deal
with personal afflictions. It is little wonder that Paul encourages us to
examine ourselves to see if we are in the faith.
2 Timothy 1:7
For God did not give us a spirit of timidity, but a spirit of power, of love
and of self-discipline. NIV
Paramount in all of Paul’s afflictions was the purpose of keeping his own
heart in line with God’s purposes.
2 Corinthians 6:3-10
We try to live in such a way that no one will be hindered from finding the
Lord by the way we act, and so no one can find fault with our ministry. 4 In
everything we do we try to show that we are true ministers of God. We
patiently endure troubles and hardships and calamities of every kind. 5 We
have been beaten, been put in jail, faced angry mobs, worked to exhaustion,
endured sleepless nights, and gone without food. 6 We have proved ourselves
by our purity, our understanding, our patience, our kindness, our sincere
love, and the power of the Holy Spirit . 7 We have faithfully preached the
truth. God's power has been working in us. We have righteousness as our
weapon, both to attack and to defend ourselves. 8 We serve God whether
people honor us or despise us, whether they slander us or praise us. We are
honest, but they call us impostors. 9 We are well known, but we are treated
as unknown. We live close to death, but here we are, still alive. We have
been beaten within an inch of our lives. 10 Our hearts ache, but we always
have joy. We are poor, but we give spiritual riches to others. We own
nothing, and yet we have everything. NLT
Staying alert and persistent in dealing with the issues of my own
heart allows me to deal with my personal issues in my afflictions in the
power of the Holy Spirit.
Ephesians 6:18
Pray at all times and on every occasion in the power of the Holy Spirit.
Stay alert and be persistent in your prayers for all Christians everywhere.
NLT
Amazingly, God is most concerned with the issues of my heart.
A better world, nation and family begin with me. Realizing God can use me in
a powerful way when I allow him to deal with the issues of my heart is very
motivating for me.
If we pray to this end, we will discover the secret to praying powerful
prayers.
1 Kings 8:35-40
35 "When the heavens are shut up and there is
no rain because your people have sinned against you, and when they pray
toward this place and confess your name and turn from their sin because you
have afflicted them, 36 then hear from heaven and forgive the sin of your
servants, your people Israel. Teach them the right way to live, and send
rain on the land you gave your people for an inheritance.
37 "When
famine or plague comes to the land, or blight or mildew, locusts or
grasshoppers, or when an enemy besieges them in any of their cities,
whatever disaster or disease may come, 38 and when a prayer or plea is made
by any of your people Israel — each one aware of the afflictions of his own
heart, and spreading out his hands toward this temple— 39 then hear from
heaven, your dwelling place. Forgive and act; deal with each man according
to all he does, since you know his heart (for you alone know the hearts of
all men), 40 so that they will fear you all the time they live in the land
you gave our fathers. NIV
