top of page

Reasons for Prayer 4

Reasons for Prayer Part 4 Today we will continue to look at other scriptural examples of prayer and its positive impact. Our first example is found in the book of 2 Kings. It involves a woman who, along with her husband, made a place for Elisha the prophet to stay when traveling through their region. She recognized him as a man of God and wanted to honor him. When Elisha passed by that way, he and his servant would stay at the couple’s home in the upper chamber they prepared for him. After some time, Elisha called the woman and asked if there was anything he could do on her behalf, as a way of saying thanks. Then he said to Gehazi his servant, "Call this Shunammite woman." When he had called her, she stood before him. And he said to him, "Say now to her, 'Look, you have been concerned for us with all this care. What can I do for you? Do you want me to speak on your behalf to the king or to the commander of the army?' " She answered, "I dwell among my own people." So he said, "What then is to be done for her?" And Gehazi answered, "Actually, she has no son, and her husband is old." So he said, "Call her." When he had called her, she stood in the doorway. Then he said, "About this time next year you shall embrace a son." And she said, "No, my lord. Man of God, do not lie to your maidservant!" But the woman conceived, and bore a son when the appointed time had come, of which Elisha had told her. 2Ki 4:12-17 Elisha realized her heart’s desire was to have a child, and he spoke by prophetic inspiration and declared she would have a son within a year. And, as prophesied, she gave birth to a son the following year. Over the course of time, the son became ill and died. She laid the child on the bed of the man of God, and took one of her servants, saddled a donkey, and went out to find the prophet Elisha. She found him and said: "As the LORD lives, and as your soul lives, I will not leave you." So he arose and followed her. 2Ki 4:30 Prayer Changed the Outcome. When Elisha came into the house, there was the child, lying dead on his bed. He went in therefore, shut the door behind the two of them, and prayed to the LORD. And he went up and lay on the child, and put his mouth on his mouth, his eyes on his eyes, and his hands on his hands; and he stretched himself out on the child, and the flesh of the child became warm. He returned and walked back and forth in the house, and again went up and stretched himself out on him; then the child sneezed seven times, and the child opened his eyes. And he called Gehazi and said, "Call this Shunammite woman." So he called her. And when she came into him, he said, "Pick up your son." So she went in, fell at his feet, and bowed to the ground; then she picked up her son and went out. 2Ki 4:32-37 What an amazing powerful story of persistence, faith, and answered prayer! Notice, Elisha did not give up after he prayed and saw no immediate results but continued to walk out his faith by repeatedly going back to the young boy until the child came back to life. Sometimes when we pray, all the circumstances may not appear to confirm God has answered or things are moving in the right direction, but we must be convinced in our hearts God hears and answers the prayer of faith. Knowing the will of God can only come through spending time in His presence and studying His Word to know His heart. Jesus said He only did what He saw and heard from the Father. (John 5:19-20; 8:26) If Jesus needed to hear from the Father to walk in perfect faith, it is the same with us. The scripture says, faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the Word of God (Romans 10:17). As we hear or discern in our spirit what the Father’s will is, we can have faith and pray with confidence. Not knowing God’s will hinders our faith. Sometimes it will require spending time in His presence seeking His wisdom on a situation. Other times, a Holy Spirit revelatory knowing may rise in our spirit as insight into His will. In the story above, it appears the latter may have been the case. Another great example of answered prayer is the story of Lazarus, who was the brother of Mary and Martha, and a friend of Jesus. He became ill and died. Mary and Martha had summoned Jesus to come days before while he was still sick. When Jesus heard his friend was sick, He waited four days until he had died, and told His disciples Lazarus was only sleeping (speaking figuratively). Then Jesus told His disciples He was going to Bethany where Lazarus lived. When He arrived, Mary and Martha were mourning the loss of their brother and told Jesus he would have still been living if He had been there earlier. Jesus told them to believe, and they would see the glory of God. He then asked them where Lazarus had been buried, and when He came to the tomb, He prayed a simple prayer saying: "…Father, I thank You that You have heard Me. And I know that You always hear Me, but because of the people who are standing by I said this, that they may believe that You sent Me." John 11:41-42 When He finished praying, He cried out with a loud voice, “Lazarus come forth!” What was the result? And he who had died came out bound hand and foot with graveclothes, and his face was wrapped with a cloth. Jesus said to them, "Loose him, and let him go." John 11:44 All this happened because Jesus spent time seeking the Father’s face in prayer and supplication, and therefore, could stand in complete faith knowing He was acting on behalf of the Father’s perfect will. In this very brief series on reasons for prayer, we have discovered how prayer is the legal right of every believer to entreat the Father on behalf of themselves and others. It opens the door for the miracle working power of God to manifest in the earth for His glory and our benefit. It brings about divine interventions, mercy, grace, deliverance from evil, provision, and so much more. It is the avenue by which God can legally reveal Himself on our behalf in powerful ways. Most of all, it is the primary way we can communicate and fellowship with our Creator, Savior, and God. There are so many other scriptural examples concerning answered prayer we could point to, but hopefully these have whetted your appetite to begin praying with more faith that God hears and answers prayers offered in faith. In another series, we will look at the different types of prayer and how they work. Until then, may God our Heavenly Father richly bless and keep you. James Brown CST 09-30-2022
bottom of page