~ Charles H. Spurgeon
It is human nature that no matter whom you are, man or woman, rich or poor, believer or non-believer, when life hits us hard we cry out to the supernatural for help. In the book of Luke 11: 9-10 it states, So I say to you, ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened. According to God’s word and the teachings in C.H. Spurgeon’s book,
The Power in Prayer- God even hears not only the cries of man but the cry of the raven and provides it with food. He gives to the beast its food, And to the young ravens that cry (Psalm 147:9). Wow! I find this to be an awesome example of how God provides for us our every need. He knew us before He created us and knows what our needs will be before we ask. I have prayed to God ever since I could remember, but the one memory of answered prayer that stands out the most is when I was at a crossroads in my life and didn’t know who to turn to. I dropped to my knees and cried out to God for his help. I knew that He heard my cry and the following morning I felt His presence like never before. I was saved! Thank you Jesus for hearing my cry, even at a time in my life when my faith was weak, but you were strong. My prayer had power.
Since the time of my conversion I’ve grown in my prayer walk. However, there have been and still are doubts along the way, if in fact does He listen to my every need. (I’m sure some of you can relate.) I wonder often if it is more effective to pray silently or out loud. Should my posture be standing, kneeling or sitting? Is it proper to argue with my Father God? Then I learned that arguing with God can be effective. Remember Job he pleaded his case before the All-Knowing God and filled his mouth with arguments (Job 23:4). Spurgeon believes that there are two things necessary in prayer: ordering our cause and filling our mouths with arguments. When we do this then we have rightly learned the lesson and will be blessed in the end. I can remember vividly a time in my life when I truly argued with God and received a blessing. After being married a second time, with a blended family of three teens, my husband and I decided not to have any more children. I was working hard at earning a degree and between the sports, school schedules and lack of bathroom space. Three teenagers were all that we could handle at the time. Now God had other plans. He asked me if I would trust Him and give birth to another child. At first I stomped my foot and said, No! Then the bartering began, “okay fine, I’ll get pregnant, but if I don’t get pregnant within three months all bets are off.” God had his way and on July 3, 1997 we were blessed with a beautiful, healthy girl and I cannot imagine my life without her. Thank you God for not letting me have my way and for blessing me big-time anyway. There is power in prayer.
Another thing I learned from reading, The Power in Prayer is we need to come to God with a prepared spirit and not just saying anything that comes first to mind. Don’t beat around the bush and posture yourself. Sit with the Lord and wait upon Him with Holy fear and awe. I like how Spurgeon puts it, “You are before the Lord; Let your words be few, but let your heart be fervent.” Take your rightful position and let’s not forget the Saviour’s shed blood for us. Jesus Christ is seated at the right hand of the Father and intercedes for us. What we are seeking is really for the Master’s honor. In order to have a real conversation with God, we need to deepen our spirituality and surrender to God’s will. When we ask the Lord to reside in us, the Holy Spirit teaches us how to pray. One of the things that came to me through the Holy Spirit by surprise was that when I opened my heart to the Lord, He opened my eyes to sin and the need to repent and ask for forgiveness. It amazes me to this day the things of this world that I use to think were okay and nothing wrong with, like using the Lord’s name in vain, gossiping, getting drunk and that it was a woman’s right because it was her body to get an abortion. Thank you God for helping me to understand what the Holy Spirit is telling me. Thank you for showing me true righteousness and forgiving me of my sins. There is power in repenting and asking for forgiveness. Asking for forgiveness is part of prayer.
God is great and if we as Christians are to call him King, and Jesus as The High priest you can rest assure there is a throne. After all He is the owner and creator of the kingdom. With that throne comes grace. In the Lord’s Prayer Our Father in heaven, Hallowed be Your name. Your kingdom come. Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven (Matt. 6:9-10). Never forget that when we are to go to our Father’s feet with reverence, know that He sits in the seat/throne of mercy. So take joy as His favored one and know that in prayer we stand where angels bow with veiled faces. His grace will read our desires when we cannot find the words. I believe as a child born into His kingdom I have the privilege to pray any place and anytime. Who are you crying out to for help? Do you believe the power in prayer? If you are not sure let the Holy Spirit guide you and meditate on Charles H. Spurgeon’s words of wisdom: “PRAY FOR PRAYER. PRAY UNTIL YOU CAN PRAY. PRAY TO BE HELPED TO PRAY, AND DO NOT GIVE UP PRAYING BECAUSE YOU CANNOT PRAY!
Charles H. Spurgeon was fifteen years old when he was converted and only fifty-eight years old when he went home to be with the Lord in 1892. God used him mightily, a powerful preacher and brought many people to Christ. Although there have been over 1 million of C.H. Spurgeon’s books in print, The Power in Prayer is my first read by Spurgeon. I strongly encourage you to pick up one of his books today and better learn how to be truly blessed by God Our Father.
