*OPEN HEAVENS DAILY DEVOTIONAL*
*DATE: SUNDAY 10TH JULY 2016*
*THEME: PRAY UNTIL SOMETHING HAPPENS*
*MEMORISE:* Hitherto have ye asked nothing in my name: ask, and ye shall receive, that your joy may be full. John 16:24
*READ: John 16:23-28*
16:23 And in that day ye shall ask me nothing. Verily, verily, I say unto you, Whatsoever ye shall ask the Father in my name, he will give it to you.
16:24 Hitherto have ye asked nothing in my name: ask, and ye shall receive, that your joy may be full.
16:25 These things have I spoken unto you in proverbs: but the time cometh, when I shall no more speak unto you in proverbs, but I shall shew you plainly of the Father.
16:26 At that day ye shall ask in my name: and I say not unto you, that I will pray the Father for you:
16:27 For the Father himself loveth you, because ye have loved me, and have believed that I came out from God.
16:28 I came forth from the Father, and am come into the world: again, I leave the world, and go to the Father
*MESSAGE*
Children of God must cultivate the habit of persistent prayers so that they may attain their full potentials. The importance of prayer cannot be overemphasised when we consider what those who take time to pray gain.
The Bible says: "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 5:17-18
The prayer of Elijah that brought about the rain was not just a five-minute prayer. He prayed and prayed again before the rain fell. When a man of God prays for a few minutes in the public and miracles begin to happen, one should not be deceived that it is the few minutes of prayer that instigated the miracles.
The fact is that, the man of God had prayed long hours in private before the public show of God's miraculous deeds. God, in His Word, commands us to "Pray without ceasing." The One who commands us to pray, definitely will answer our prayers, if only we will obey command.
God is interested in listening to our petitions and responding accordingly. Our Lord Jesus Christ in our text for today says, "Hitherto have ye asked nothing in my name: ask, and ye shall receive, that your joy may be full." John 16:24.
In other words, we must not stop asking if we have not received an answer to the petitions that we put before God. At times, answers to our prayers are double-crossed by the agents of darkness like in the case of Daniel.
The following importune prayer of Daniel eventually saved the day: "Then said he unto me, Fear not, Daniel: for from the first day that thou didst set thine heart to understand, and to chasten thyself before thy God, thy words were heard, and I am come for thy words. But the prince of the kingdom of Persia withstood me one and twenty days: but, lo, Michael, one of the chief princes, came to help me; and I remained there with the kings of Persia." Daniel 10:12-13
Hannah prayed until something happened in her life and so did Jabez. We must begin to pray until the attention of God is drawn to our petition. The Psalmist said in Psalms 30:2 that when he cried to the Lord, the Lord healed him. This is another testimony of someone who believed in the God that answers prayers.
My prayer for someone using this devotional is that as you cry unto God today, He will answer you as He answered Hannah, Jabez and Elijah in Jesus' name.
*ACTION POINT:*
Set aside quality time to pray today and you will receive unprecedented answer to your prayers.
*BIBLE IN ONE YEAR:* Romans 9:30-13:6 and Psalms 6
*AUTHOR: Pst E. A ADEBOYE*
*HYMN 2: O JESUS, I HAVE PROMISED.*
O Jesus, I have promised,
To serve Thee to the end;
Be Thou forever near me,
My Master and my Friend;
I shall not fear the battle
If Thou art by my side,
Nor wander from the pathway
If Thou wilt be my Guide.
Oh, let me feel Thee near me;
The world is ever near;
I see the sights that dazzle,
The tempting sounds I hear;
My foes are ever near me,
Around me and within;
But, Jesus, draw Thou nearer,
And shield my soul from sin.
Oh, let me hear Thee speaking,
In accents clear and still,
Above the storms of passion,
The murmurs of self-will;
Oh, speak to reassure me,
To hasten, or control;
Oh, speak, and make me listen,
Thou Guardian of my soul.
O Jesus, Thou hast promised
To all who follow Thee
That where Thou art in glory
There shall Thy servant be;
And Jesus, I have promised
To serve Thee to the end;
Oh, give me grace to follow,
My Master and my Friend.
Oh, let me see Thy footmarks,
And in them plant mine own;
My hope to follow duly
Is in Thy strength alone.
Oh, guide me, call me, draw me,
Uphold me to the end;
And then to rest receive me,
My Savior and my Friend.
...._______________________________
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