It is important to understand the relationship between prayer and the Word of God. Such understanding, when acted upon or implemented, will enrich your prayer life and help you get results.
divineinsight BY PHILLIP CHIDAVAENZI
A lot of believers are dispirited when their prayers seem to bounce off the walls or dissipate in the air like fumes of smoke.
But when you make your prayers word-based, they quickly attract heaven’s attention because God honours his word. Psalms 138:2: “I will worship toward thy holy temple, and praise thy name for thy loving kindness and for thy truth: for thou hast magnified thy word above all thy name.”
According to John Piper (DesiringGod.org), “there is a direct connection between the degree to which our minds are shaped by scripture and the degree to which our prayers are answered.”
Quite interestingly, Jesus also spoke concerning this relationship between prayer and the word, stressing that when the word dwells richly in you, receiving answers to prayer becomes a way of life. John 15:7, “If ye abide in me, and my words abide in you, ye shall ask what ye will, and it shall be done unto you.”
The Bible further demonstrates that God will only answer prayers that are presented according to His will. 1 John 5:14-15: “And this is the confidence that we have in him, that, if we ask any thing according to his will, he heareth us: And if we know that he hears us, whatsoever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we desired of him.”
But when you are still young in the faith, God can answer all sorts of prayers even if not word-based, but with time, this ceases because he expects you to mature spiritually and pray right. It’s just like when you let your baby to get away with anything, but as the child grows, you expect them to act their age and they can’t get away with everything they do.
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But how do I find out God’s will? In simple terms, God’s will is his word. Outside of his Word, you cannot know his will. If you study the book of Acts, you will realise that the early church prayed the Word extensively, no wonder why they got results for their prayers. For example, the prayer in Acts 4:24-30, was inspired by Psalm 2:1-3. When the apostles prayed this prayer, they were praying the word, with Psalm 2:1-3 as their basis.
As the apostles prayed the word, something marvellous happened. Acts 4:31: “And when they had prayed, the place was shaken where they were assembled together; and they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and they spake the word of God with boldness.”
Praying the word, especially the Psalms, will help you enrich your vocabulary of praise to God. Some people, perhaps if they are not in great need, struggle to pray because they feel their words are limited.
Praying the scriptures demonstrates that we are coming into agreement with God, and His power is released to answer our prayers. As you mature in the faith, you will realise that your prayers change, and you go beyond asking, asking and asking for personal things, because you would have understood that “all things are yours” (1 Corinthians 3:21). At this point, you do prayers knit together by several scriptures. It is, however, not just a matter of saying these things off head, but these are scriptures you would have meditated on over a long period of time.
You can go on and on, tailor-making the scriptures for the kind of prayer you’re doing. If you are sick, for instance, and you want healing, you must argue why? The devil, the accuser of the brethren, will be arguing you do not have to be well. But you stand on the Word, which is your constitution, and declare that according to Isaiah 53:5 and 1 Peter 2:21-25, it is your right to receive healing because Jesus’ body was broken for your healing, and by his stripes, you were healed. You make these declarations in your prayer. The Word of God is the language of God, and you have to speak his language in your prayer closet if your petitions are to be granted.
The Word contains many promises about the circumstances and situations we face. Reading, proclaiming, declaring, and meditating on these promises found throughout scripture will increase our faith. Praying the scriptures will facilitate your spiritual growth. You actually learn what God says about certain situations, and by praying His Word, you will see His results.
God bless you.
Phillip Chidavaenzi is the author of several books including Walking in the Spirit (2017) and Give Me Souls, Or I Die! (2018) He can be contacted on [email protected]
