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