Recently, my squad participated in a 24-hour house of prayer. We dedicated a room for prayer, played worship music for the entire 24 hours, and came and went as we felt led and poured out prayer requests and praises for hours at a time both individually and aloud with others. The Lord declares in scripture that we can approach Him with confidence in our prayers, and that He hears us and will answer our prayers. This month I have learned a great deal about the power of prayer, and wrapping up our time in Honduras with a full day dedicated to faith in the fulfillment of our prayers was an awesome experience.
A few people created a prayer wall of ideas and requests to be prayed for, things like the countries as a whole we are ministering in, struggles like depression, sexual sins, addictions, feelings of unworthiness, and wounded relationships.
We opened up this time of prayer with whole-group prayer for Zion’s Gate and our squad at 9pm Friday night. From 10pm Friday till 8pm Saturday, the room was open for us to come and go. I was awakened around 1 am, so I went in to pray and see if the Lord had awakened me for a reason. Sure enough, as I prayed though the book of psalms, I was encouraged by the similarity those words shared with what needed to be said for the requests on our prayer wall. God already knows our needs, and I found confidence in the fact that I knew I was praying in God’s will by using His own words given to me in the bible.
Sometimes, we feel like we don’t know what to pray and so we don’t pray at all. Or sometimes we’re afraid that the words we say won’t have any impact. But everything God teaches us about prayer in the bible contradicts those two ideas.
Jeremiah 33:3
'Call to me and I will answer you and tell you great and unsearchable things you do not know.'
Matthew 21:22
If you believe, you will receive whatever you ask for in prayer."
Mark 11:25-26
And when you stand praying, if you hold anything against anyone, forgive them, so that your Father in heaven may forgive you your sins."
John 16:24
Until now you have not asked for anything in my
name. Ask and you will receive, and your joy will be complete.
Philippians 4:6-7
Do not be anxious about anything, but in every
situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.
James 1:5
If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God,
who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you.
James 5:16
Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and
effective.
1 John 5:14-15
This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us. And if we know that he hears us-whatever we ask-we know that we have what we asked of him.
The Lord desires us. He desires to hear from us, and to talk to us daily. Talking to God about our thoughts, our wishes, our worries, our struggles-this is how we start to lay them down before Him and hand them over to Him and trust Him to take care of them. How great that the curtain has been torn and we have direct access to communicate with our Creator and King!
Our group ended the 24-hour House of Prayer with an hour of worship and prayer together Saturday night. We prayed over each other in small groups and the Lord heard us and has been answering those prayers in amazing ways! Many of you were also in my prayers that day and continue to be. Please be lifting up my team and my squad as we begin a new month and ministry in Nicaragua. Much love!
