WEEK 32 DEVOTIONAL ON PRAYER

“They were helped in fighting them, and God handed the Hagrites and all their allies over to them, because they cried out to him during the battle. He answered their prayers, because they trusted in him.”  I Chronicles 5:20

Prayer was at the center of their success over their enemies. It was not their swords or their shields, their training or their strength that won the battle. It was their God that won the battle. It was God who handed the enemies over to them.  They partnered with God in the battle through prayer and won. With fervency and passion, they cried out to God in the midst of the battle and He answered their prayers.  In what battles are you partnering with God during these days? What battles have been won recently because you cried out to Him in prayer?

These are day when we need to be praying for America. The battle is raging. Every day, we enter the battle field, “for our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.” Ephesians 6:12. Every day, we are in battles that can only be won through prayer. Without His help, the battle will not be won. It is not my fighting that wins the battle, but His help. Believing that I really need help is the starting line to crying out to Him for help. Am I really desperate enough to pray and cry out to Him? Prayer begins at the finish line of our self-sufficiency. It is not only our responsibility to cry out for His help, but it is our privilege as children of God.

As it so insightfully has been said, “One plus God is always a majority”. They were on the winning side because God was on their side. It is His hand that wins the battles of our lives. To fight without Him is to fight a losing war. The presence of the Lord was with them in the battle before they cried out. However, the presence of the Lord did not mean they did not need to cry out to Him in prayer. The closeness of His presence does not exempt us from crying out to Him in specific prayer.

Trust enables us to experience God’s answers to prayer. It is the channel through which God’s answers can flow. Failure to trust blocks the rivers of His answers. Their prayer was founded in and backed by trust. It was their trust in God that enabled them to experience God’s answers. What are you trusting the Lord with today?