Confess your faults one to another, and pray one for another, that ye may be healed. The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much. Elias was a man subject to like passions as we are, and he prayed earnestly that it might not rain: and it rained not on the earth by the space of three years and six months. And he prayed again, and the heaven gave rain, and the earth brought forth her fruit (James 5:16-18). And when they had laid many stripes upon them, they cast them into prison, charging the jailor to keep them safely: who, having received such a charge, thrust them into the inner prison, they made their feet fast in the stocks. And at midnight Paul and Silas prayed, and sang praises unto God: and the prisoners heard them. And suddenly there was a great earthquake, so that the foundations of the prison were shaken: and immediately all the doors were opened, and everyone’s bands were loosed. And the keeper of the prison awakened out of his sleep, and seeing the prison doors open, he drew out his sword, and would have killed himself, supposing that the prisoners had been fled. But Paul cried with a loud voice, saying, Do thyself no harm: for we are all here (Acts 16:23-28).
Sometimes we find ourselves in situations, or dire straits, that are more than we can handle. We try everything, and everything seems to fail. We become shackled and bound by our circumstances, as if we are imprisoned. There doesn’t appear to be a way out. Our backs are against the wall, and it feels like the weight of the world is on our shoulders! We try everything within our powers, and we exhaust all of our resources, only to fail miserably! Instead of trying Jesus first, sometimes we try to solve issues ourselves, or we rely on another person, for advice. For some reason, Jesus is the last option, when He definitely should have been the first option! However, that’s when we can see a light at the end of the tunnel! That’s when it’s time to P.U.S.H., or, Pray Until Something Happens! No doubt at some point in time, you have dealt with a “desperate situation” wherein you did not simply utter a familiar prayer in which you said a few sanctimonious sentences. Instead, you prayed fervently! Effectual fervent prayer can be described as hard labor! When I thought on that, my mind fell on our Savior Jesus Christ, before His betrayal and arrest in Gethsemane. When Jesus went to the mount of Olives, He was withdrawn from His disciples about a stone’s cast, and He kneeled down and prayed saying, “Father, if thou be willing, remove this cup from me: nevertheless not my will, but thine, be done. Jesus still being in agony, prayed more earnestly: and His sweat was as it were great drops of blood falling down to the ground.” When we pray fervently and call on the name of Jesus, our circumstances change. Demons tremble at the name of Jesus! Things in the atmosphere shift! “The very forces of nature can be altered!”
Elias, or Elijah, was a man subject to like passions as we are. Some Jewish writers thought Elijah had no parents, but thought he was an angel. However, he was a man who experienced the same feelings as we do. He suffered afflictions, he felt hunger, sadness, fear, and so on. In James 5:17, it states that Elias prayed “earnestly” that it might not rain: and it rained not on the earth by the space of three years and six months. Praying earnestly, he prayed until something happened! In I Kings 17:1 the Word of the Lord says, “Now Elijah the Tishbite, who was of the inhabitants of Gilead, said to Ahab, as the LORD, the God of Israel lives whom I serve, there will be neither dew nor rain in the next years except at my word.” Because Elijah prayed earnestly, “A divine intimidation was given to him in answer to prayer. Being of one mind with God in abhorrence of apostasy, he prayed that the natural idolatry be punished with a national judgment, drought, and on Israel’s profession of repentance, he prayed again, for the removal of the visitation.” When Elijah prayed again the heaven gave rain, and the earth brought forth her fruit. Look at God! Through effectual fervent, and earnest prayer, God can truly alter the forces of nature! (Read I Kings 18:39-42) What an example of the power of fervent prayer!
When we pray fervently and earnestly, we must not forget to also Praise Until Something Happens! In the book of Acts of the Apostles in chapter 16 verses 16-28, we see the wondrous works wrought by Jesus, after Paul and Silas had been jailed. Paul had determined they would go to visit their brethren in every city where they had preached the Word of the Lord, to see how they were doing. Along their journey, they were beaten with many stripes and imprisoned, because Paul cast a spirit of divination out of a damsel who was also a soothsayer. Her masters were quite upset that she would no longer bring them gain, and had Paul and Silas jailed. I would consider this to be a critical situation, which could have gotten even worse, but they did not become upset or worried. They did not question God. Instead, at midnight they began to pray and sing praises unto God! Now picture this. They had been beaten, imprisoned, thrust into the inner prison, a loathsome place, and their feet placed in stocks! Yet, they prayed and praised God, until something happened! “And suddenly there was a great earthquake so that the foundations of the prison were shaken: and immediately all the doors were opened, and every one’s bands were loosed.” What a mighty deliverance! Paul and Silas were literally imprisoned, and God loosed their stocks and set them free, as well as the other prisoners, miraculously! Praying fervently, praising, and calling on the name of the Lord, will move mountains, will cause a shift in the atmosphere, and even alter the forces of naure! Praise God! What a mighty God we serve!
When it’s midnight in your life, what are you going to do? Will you maintain an attitude of worship and praise? Will you sing psalms unto the Lord? Will you pray earnestly, until something happens? The winds of life will be boisterous in our lives, at times, but the winds and the waves shall obey His will, and the Lord will send peace, into your tumultuous circumstances. When you feel like the walls of life are closing in on you, P.U.S.H., or Pray and Praise Until Something Happens! May God bless you abundantly, today and every day!
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Paulette's Blog 
Hi Paulette.
Great blog. (I hope this didn’t come about because of an upheaval in your own life).
Yes, we need to PRAY until something happens – until God works on our behalf, but too often we forget to PRAISE in like manner. And we mustn’t forget that the praise doesn’t have to wait until AFTER the problem is resolved. In fact, praise is/should be a major part of the prayer.
No matter how dark the situation, we can praise our great God because we KNOW He is on the throne; we KNOW His desire is for our good; we KNOW He will work things out and that His way is best.
What a Saviour!
Hi Angela,
Thank you. I appreciate your concern. This article did not come about because of an upheaval in my life. My circumstances haven’t changed. I’m still dealing with the day-to-day issues that I have been dealing with for a while, related to my illness. The post came about to encourage others, as well as myself, to earnestly pray about issues we may face, and while we are waiting for God to answer our prayers, to wait with a praise in our hearts and on our lips. Sometimes, we have to “praise our way out” of circumstances!
I appreciate your comment. Thank you, again. Yes, what a Savior! Take care.
Paulette
Hi Paulette,
These are all such good reminders and encouragements…. We can also remember Paul’s situation in which he prayed for some sort of physical relief, but in 2 Corinthians 12:9, God said to him, “My grace is sufficient for you, for power is perfected in weakness.”
I think of that when my prayers don’t seem to be answered, in spite of my opinion that my way would be best…. For whatever reason, according to our Lord’s great wisdom, it is better that I remain weak and afflicted…. So, I praise Him for His will being done and for knowing what is eternally best for me….. There is a whole lot of love in the support He gives moment by moment…. All these times seem to be times of refinement.
Love,
Margaret
Hi Margaret,
For quite some time now, the Scripture you spoke of in II Corinthians, has been a great encouragement to me! When Paul sought the Lord thrice, to remove the thorn in his flesh, Paul wanted the Lord to remove the thorn. Instead, he got something far greater from the Lord, the sufficiency of His grace, and perfect strength in weakness! Thank you for sharing! God bless you!
Paulette
A few tears escaped my eyes while reading this comment Paulette. Thanks; I needed this.
Luke 11:8 in the NLT says that “if you keep knocking long enough, he will get up and give you whatever you need because of your shameless persistence.” Then Christ continues teaching on prayer in Luke 8. What you covered, Paulette, parallels Christ’s teaching in Luke so very well. Once again, various biblical authors at various times are in total agreement!
Hello Sam,
I’m so glad you stopped by. 🙂 “If you keep knocking long enough, he will get up and give you whatever you need because of your shameless persistence.” I love the NLT version of this Scripture. That is exactly what we must have, shameless persistence. It is time out, for worrying about what someone may think of us, when we are in the midst of pressing into the presence of the Lord! I will review Christ’s teachings on prayer in Luke 8.
Thank you so much for the encouragement, and your over all addition to this discussion! Your input was awesome!
The Lord bless thee, and keep thee: the LORD make His face shine upon thee, and be gracious to thee: the LORD lift up His countenance upon thee, and give thee peace.
Paulette
Paulette, wow, this is a great article. PRAY – Pray until something happens. I do this. I love to pray for others, I will have to go to the requests page. Loved your colors and layout here too, your fan Jackie
Hello Jackie,
Thank you so much for stopping by, and I appreciate you leaving a comment. Like you, I love to intercede through prayer, on the behalf of others. I think it’s awesome that you are an intercessor. Prayer truly changes things! Praise God!
Thank you for the compliment on the colors and layout of the blog. It’s much appreciated. I hope you’ll visit again soon.
May the Lord bless you, and keep you in His care!
Paulette
Hey what is RSD?
RSD, or, Reflex Sympathetic Dystrophy Syndrome, is a chronically painful and debilitating neurological syndrome! It affects the nerves, skin, muscles, and bones. To learn more about this syndrome, when you visit again, click on Reflex Sympathetic Dystrophy Syndrome/RSD, in the pages section. There you’ll find the articles that I’ve written on this topic, to date. Thanks for asking. If you have any other questions, feel free to ask. I was diagnosed with RSD, several years ago.
Thank you for your kind remarks on my busy blog. I see you have it all, and yours had a concentration on Christianity or Christ. I love it.
Jackie,
You’re welcome. I’m glad you enjoyed this article. It blesses me, when others are blessed.
Take care.
Paulette
Awesome post keep it Up….!!
Hi!
I appreciate you stopping by! Thanks for the encouraging words.
Take care. God bless.
Paulette
Paulette,
Another post that was a blessing to me.. when we are faced with the difficult times of our life, the need to be in submnission to His will for us cannot be underemphasized.
As you say, prayer is a very important aspect to this submissive spirit. As hard as it may be to say, “Not my will but thine be done”, this should be our prayer unto Him.
I’ve noticed that, for me, the more I honestly pray these words to Him, the more peace I experience.
Thank you again May the Lord bless you.
Rob
Hi Rob,
Each time you’re blessed by something you’ve read on this blog, it blesses me, as well! After all, it isn’t about me, but it is all about Jesus! “When we are faced with the difficult times of our life, the need to be in submission to His will for us cannot be underemphasized.” This is so, so true! In the difficult times, declaring, “Not my will but Thine be done”, is easily uttered, but at times, difficult to live by. However, you are right again, because this should be our prayer unto Him, at all times! We must decrease, so that He can increase, in our lives! He knows what is best for us. My life is in His hands!
Rob, thank you! Your input is always thoughtful, and thought-provoking. God bless you!
Paulette
Deus é dar-te a benção Divina, para a continuidade de seus trabalhos,
é digno de louvor.
Estou orando muito por você. suas orações me fortalece,
Muito Obrigado.
Que Deus olhe por você.
Hello Helio HCF,
Thank you so much for stopping by. I appreciate your very kind words of encouragement! Again, thank you for your prayers. I hope the translation was correct! May God bless you!
Paulette
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God is giving you the divine blessing for the continuity of its work,
It is worthy of praise.
I’m praying for you. their prayers gives me strength,
Thank you very much.
May God look for you.
Some great scriptures in there, the one about Elijah praying for drought is a favourite.
That Scripture, was the driving force, that led to the penning of this article! Our God, can truly do exceeding abundantly above all that we can ask, or think! Pray without ceasing, because God is able!
God bless you!
Deus ,é, de Olhar por Todos meus irmãos, pois pretendo se deus permitir
permanecer nesta pagina Sagrada,por todos os dias de minha vida.
Esta pagina é dotada de muita força espiritual pela qual nós transmite
muita paz, Amor,e o mais importante sabedoria para a continuidade da
vida,sobre um força superior a nós todos, Amem.
Eu aprendi muito em outras paginas Sociais,e eu tenho orado muito por
eles,pelo Amor de seus trabalhos,oferecendo para eles tudo de bom.
Aqui é minha pagina Sagrada Preferida, quando eu entro aqui eu vejo
a fé,Bondade,Caridade,palavras que conforta o meu coração, e mais importante
a transparência na pregação do livro Sagrado. A “Bíblia”.que é o melhor livro
do mundo.
Sim, permanecerei aqui até os últimos dias da minha vida.e recomendo
que você faça o mesmo, você vai ser muito abençoado, por um Deus
Verdadeiro.
Orem por mim assim como, eu faço orações por todos, Amem.
Hello Helio HCF,
I want you to know how moved I was by your comment! I thought I wouldn’t be able to translate it, but thanks to the Bing Translator I was so blessed as I read the translation of your words! My eyes welled with tears as I read your heartfelt comment! I must say, this was one of the most encouraging comments that I’ve read on the blog! You have certainly touched my heart, and I am grateful to God that you were blessed! To God be the glory. I will keep you in my prayers, and thank you for praying for me! May God richly bless your life, because it is very apparent that you love the Lord! Thank you so much for taking the time to write this comment! I hope the translation was close to your actual words! Thank you, again!
Paulette
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The translation of the comment, is as follows:
God is looking for All my brothers, because I want God to allow
stay on this page, for every day of my life.
This page has a lot of spiritual strength by which we transmit
much peace, love, wisdom and the most important for the continuity of
life on a force superior to us all, Love.
I learned a lot on other pages, and I have prayed a lot for
they love their jobs, offering them all good.
Here is my page Sacred preferred, when I go here I see
faith, Kindness, charity, words that will comfort my heart, and most important
transparency in the preaching of the Holy Book. The “Bible” that is the best book
in the world.
Yes, I will remain here until the last days of my life and I recommend
you do the same, you’ll be very blessed by God
True.
Pray for me as I do prayers for all, Love.
Paulette,
I am often puzzled at the dismay people feel when God does not answer their prayers according to their will. Every successful relationship, bar none, requires each person tune in to the benefit of the other. Yet how many times, under the guise of prayer, do we demand of God – treating him as our personal Genie who waits to comply with our “authoritative, all powerful” beckon call – instead of praying according to his will, as led by the Holy Spirit who is also God. Both non-Christians and selfish Christians alike pray strictly from belief, not God-given faith, and belief apart from faith is selfish expectation, the surest of barriers between us and God. Conversely, belief based on God-given faith guarantees answer to prayer, but is possible only by aligning our heart, mind, and spirit with God’s will through obedient humble submission to his will.
God’s plan and God’s will work hand in hand, and when we are not in tune with God’s will, our prayers go against God’s plan. When God gives faith for a specific situation – his promissory note of inevitability – and if we then exercise belief in that faith, God will answer our prayer 100% of the time, bar none. However, the degree to which God honors the specific details of our prayer depends entirely upon the degree to which our prayer is wholly aligned with his will for that situation.
So, if I am to know for certain that God will answer my prayer according to the specific details of my prayer, I must first, through obedient humble submission, align my heart, mind, and spirit with God’s will. His will becomes my will, allowing me to know his will, and thereby pray according to his will, not mine. And second, I must exercise belief in the situation-specific faith God gives to me – the result; answered prayer, because belief based on God-given faith = answered prayer 100% of the time, bar none. The answer to my prayer, according to the specifics of my prayer, is on its way because God wills it according to his plan. My prayer is already answered, and all that remains is thanking, praising, and worshipping him for staying true to his promise, the promise given me by his situation-specific provision of faith.
Where belief is absent, doubt replaces faith; without faith, belief is selfish expectation.
Hello Todd,
God knows what is best for us, so to ask Him to do something exactly the way we have designed it in our finite minds, could possibly cause us to miss out on tremendous blessings, because God may answer, in His permissive will, when His perfect will is so much better for us! After all, Jesus is omniscient, omnipresent, and omnipotent.
“Where belief is absent, doubt replaces faith; without faith, belief is selfish expectation.” I would go as far as to say, without faith, belief is unrealized expectation! “But without faith, it is impossible to please Him: for he that cometh to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of them that diligently seek Him.”
| I would go as far as to say, without faith, belief is unrealized expectation! |
Excellent, Paulette. That is so true, and according to Hebrews 11:1 – “Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.” – trust (the meaning we often ascribe to faith) is not the core component of answered prayer. In the context of Hebrews 11:1, faith is the title deed, or promissory note, that guarantees the answer to our prayer. This type of faith is God-given. Our common usage of the word faith, involves only our trust in God. This type of faith is not our guarantee for answer to prayer, in and of itself. Only when we trust (common usage of the word faith) the situation-specific faith that God gives to us, our promissory note, can we know for certain our prayer is answered. God gives us his provision of faith – knowledge of what to pray for and the title deed to that prayer, all wrapped in one package – and it is then up to us to trust in that faith.
My point is that there are two different meanings to the word “faith”: faith, the promissory note given to us by God for specific situations; and faith, the trust we have in God. I wish we could find another word for the common usage of the word “faith” because it essentially means “trust”, not the promissory note or title deed guarantee of a specific outcome as described in Hebrews 11:1. I laid out the Hebrews 11:1 type of faith with a bit more depth in the following post and accompanying comments: Why Doesn’t God Answer My Prayer?.
Yet another timely word. We so often “pray amiss” because we haven’t yet “let this mind in us that is also in Christ Jesus”! Many times as believers we are either too lazy to invest the time in discovering His will, or simply not interested in HIS will, only OUR desires! Forgetting that the bible very clearly instructs us to seek Him first. To seek Him is to seek His will. I cannot truly have a relationship with a person and not discover their likes and dislikes. Just as I cannot follow someone My way! If I call you my Master, then I am not merely responsible to obey you, I must also carry out your will according to the specific instructions you provide. God never tells us to paint the house without telling us what color to paint it. He gave Moses the blueprint for the tabernacle, just as he gave both Cain AND Abel the parameters for what would be an acceptable sacrifice!
The journey to purpose and destiny must go through a place called “nevertheless”. You will never receive the promises of God PRIOR to submitting to His will.
In terms of prayers, the most difficult time to pray the will of God is when you sense in your spirit that His will is not what you want. When it is time for Him to call a loved one home, when the job you have is no longer the job He has FOR you, when a friendship has become toxic and you are not willing to let go. These are the times we try to persuade God to see things our way. What we fail to remember is that He knows the end from the begninning. He knows the final desitnation for every possible road we can take in life, and His desire is to lead us down the road that allows Him to continue to be responsible for us and our care. The last thing we want is to get to the place where we are so determined to do things our way, that He allows us to! I want God to ALWAYS be responsible for my results, and this can only be the case when I pray, walk, LIVE in obedience!
Well said, Tim.
Todd, that comment was actually inspired by YOUR comment. Thank you for sharing bro!
I just realized that in my haste, what I was actually reading and responding to was a comment and not the actual original post! Now that I have gone back and read the post, I would just like to add that on numerous occassions, as Christ performed His many miracles, His words to the healed and delivered were “Your faith has made you whole”. The reason that we praise after the prayer is because praise is merely an expression of gratitude for an answered prayer. So in the instance where we “praise until something happens”, we are actually demonstrating faith that the prayer is already answered. Remember that faith without works is dead, so once I make my petition known, my behavior has to change to reflect my belief that my petition has been received and answered and I am merely awaiting the manifestation thereof. That’s why we pray, “thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven.” God has already performed the work in the spirit realm, and we are just waiting for it to become flesh. How long did Christ exist before He was wrapped in flesh? Since before time began! God knows our need and actually answers our prayers before we pray them. It is up to us to unlock those answered prayers through faith and belief that He is able!
Once again Tim, excellent.
Thanks again for the encouragement.
Tim,
This is a very good addition to the discussion! Paul and Silas were confident that the Lord would answer their prayers! It was obvious, because their behavior was that of a celebration! They were singing praises unto God. They exhibited their faith through their praise!
Ya know, the Lord and my prayer for Sunday was for me to find a job one that I would resonate more with other than Security. Then our other co worker is messing up and might get fired which puts me in that spot. Yes could be nice to work 40 hours a week, but two of those days would be nights, 12-8am which is creepy and not what I want to do. I asked God to bless me and give me a sign on Sunday so maybe he will open this door since no other door is opening. Plus I have to move soon, and working full time on top of that at age 44 is not fun! So not sure what the prayer will be, answered or unanswered. I wish I could blog for money but that won’t happen. Wish I could publish my poems book, that won’t happen, this little Christian doesn’t know. Yes, I’d do it for the Money but that is for the wrong reasons. Ugh.
Hello Jackie,
It sounds like you are at a crossroads in your life. Continue to seek to know the will of the Lord, for your life. Pray that your will, lines up with His will for you! When you pray according to the will of God, it shall come to pass! Have faith in God! Trust as you pray, and pray that the Lord’s will be done in your life. Are at the point, where you are willing to say “yes” to His will? Have you totally surrendered your will to Him? That means, you are giving God complete control, over your life! Pray, “Not my will, but thine be done.” Be encouraged! Stay in touch. I will keep you in my prayers!
Paulette
This comment was posted by Keri. Her comment was deleted, due to technical difficulties. I will post the link to her Gravatar, in the event that anyone would want to visit her blog.
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Thank you for this message. It’s amazing that you would write on this subject…I just wrote a poem called PUSH!!!
http://en.gravatar.com/kerioutsey
I was so encouraged by this. How do I forget what I need to do when I need to do it the most? God bless you, Paulette, as you pray and praise Jesus and help us to too!
Hi Debbie,
The fact that this post was a blessing to you, is most definitely a blessing to me! Praise God! A few lyrics of a song came to mind.
“Where do I go, when there’s nobody else to turn to? Who do I talk to, when nobody wants to listen? Who do I lean on, when there’s no foundation stable? I go to the Rock, I know He’s able, I go to the Rock.”
That Rock is Jesus! I am so grateful, that I’ve learned to go to Him first and foremost! Thank you so much for your encouraging comment! May the Lord bless you richly, and continuously keep you in His loving care!
Paulette
I once said to a friend “We can have as much of God as we want”… meaning it’s up to us how comitted we are willing to be… how much valuabler time we are willing to put into seeking God’s mind and will for our lives. Those who pray and give up more…get more reward… more of His Presence and blessing.
He is waiting for us… waiting to reveal Himself, answer our prayers and give us the holy desires of our hearts.
Trouble is we often don’t “want'”Him enough.. or get sidetracked.
Yes… once we put the shoulder to the wheel we have to PUSH and keep PUSHING and not give in or up!
It’s being DILIGENT!!!!!!! Staying “in the spirit” where all things are possible. Turning of the TV!
Love from Susan.
Hi Susan,
I apologize for my tardiness in responding to your comment. For the most part, I’ve been away from blogosphere, because I was not feeling well!
Your comment was wonderful! I need not add anything to it. I only hope to strive to live up to those encouraging remarks, and I hope it was encouraging to others, as well! Thank you so much for sharing. I really appreciate it.
God bless you, Susan!
Paulette
Pray you are well in the Lord’s strength..keep drawing on Him who is all we need.. I AM your healer, provider etc. no need to apologize! You are a blessing and a credit to your Lord.
He just wants us to keep close to Him… lest we fall backwards… dwell in His love.. the Spiritual Realm of His Love, Forgiveness, Mercy and Peace and have no fears for the future He has been telling me just now. His ways are not our ways and He sees the beginning from the end… “from one nail scarred hand to another” Oh where would we be without our blessed Lord who had delivered us from the old man of the flesh… the struggle with sin and selfishness.. Praise His Holy Name…. Amen…
Love you in our dear Lord and King Yeshua!
May I please share this mighty song from the song list on my You tube channel? (Will put it on my Blog too. Very moving)
Hi Susan,
Thank you so much for those encouraging words! I do need them, for such a time as this! I have been suffering from an extreme flare up of the RSD, and its unrelenting right now! Thank you so much for your prayers, for the effectual fervent prayers of a righteous man, availeth much! Right now, I get online as much as I can.
Thank you for the song you shared! It was absolutely beautiful. I appreciate your thoughtfulness! May God bless you, and may He continuously keep you in His loving care.
Paulette