So the People Will Know

As we continue in the series Following Jesus and looking at how we as Christians should be praying, I will admit this series has made me think about the way I have been praying to God. Before we get started today, let us pray.

Lord, help me have a relationship with You that I can ask for my heart's desires but also be thankful for all the blessings You have bestowed on me.  Be with me today as I go throughout my day and show me how I can be a better disciple for You, Lord. Amen.

1 Kings 18:22-24, 36-39 (NLT)
22 Then Elijah said to them, “I am the only prophet of the Lord who is left, but Baal has 450 prophets. 23 Now bring two bulls. The prophets of Baal may choose whichever one they wish and cut it into pieces and lay it on the wood of their altar, but without setting fire to it. I will prepare the other bull and lay it on the wood on the altar, but not set fire to it. 24 Then call on the name of your god, and I will call on the name of the Lord. The god who answers by setting fire to the wood is the true God!” And all the people agreed.

36 At the usual time for offering the evening sacrifice, Elijah the prophet walked up to the altar and prayed, “O Lord, God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, prove today that you are God in Israel and that I am your servant. Prove that I have done all this at your command. 37 O Lord, answer me! Answer me so these people will know that you, O Lord, are God and that you have brought them back to yourself.”

38 Immediately the fire of the Lord flashed down from heaven and burned up the young bull, the wood, the stones, and the dust. It even licked up all the water in the trench! 39 And when all the people saw it, they fell face down on the ground and cried out, “The Lord—he is God! Yes, the Lord is God!”

Have you ever watched the movie “The Incredibles”? The scene where Mr. Incredible pulls into his driveway after a long day at work and the little boy is watching him from his tricycle. Mr. Incredible asks, “What are you waiting for?” and the little boy replies, “Something amazing I guess.” I feel like I am like this with my prayer time with God. Seeing the “something amazing” may take weeks or even years; it is not our timing, it is God's. Prayer is our weapon to use. Is there something you have been praying for but not yet seen the outcome?
 
There was a time in my life when we had some sickness in our home and things were not going well for my husband. I would ask God, “Please heal him”, or “Please let me know how to help him.” Things took a turn, and we had to call the emergency squad to take my husband to the hospital. I could not go with him because of the hospital protocol, so as I shut the front door and saw the lights fade down the driveway, I cried out to God asking for healing and what to do next. I started to pray like I was sitting next to God having a conversation with Him. Friends kept texting me and telling me God had put me on their minds to pray for us. Prayer is Power. Thankfully, my husband was back home in less than a week. Looking back, I can see the “something amazing” that God did through that time in my life.  

Matthew 18:20 states, “For where two or three gather together as my followers, I am there among them.”  Have people pray with you about the situations going on in your life. More people talking to God for you is great and powerful. God gives us people in our lives to pray with us that sometimes have been through the things we are going through. Do you have someone you could ask to come alongside you on your prayer journey?  

Telling others about our prayer requests and praying with others gives God the glory so when the “something amazing” happens, everyone will know it is God. I love how at the beginning of our church services we offer prayer, but we also tell how our prayers have become praise reports. We all can see that God is at work in our lives.  

Here are a few prayer prompts to help you get started in your prayer time today.

Lord, show me that person You want me to pray for today…

God, thank You for our relationship we have. I come before You right now asking prayer for…

I pray your day is a good one and that you always know God is available to you every day if you call upon Him and seek after Him.