Prayer VI

In the first article, I wrote on definitions on prayer, when prayer starts and some of the components of prayer. While in the second article I finished my brief exegesis on components of prayer. The third article is centered on those who should pray. The fourth is on some of the reasons why talk (pray) to our heavenly father. And the last one is on places of prayer.

In this article, I will want us to see occasions that lead to men raising their voices to pray unto the Lord God.

When someone has a knowledge about something he would be at the forefront of others, such a one cannot be confused by people about that thing which he knows. Many of us get confused about situations because we know little or nothing about the thing.

There are occasions in the bible which propel some people to raise their voices unto God, some of those occasions are what I want to share with us here.

When Jesus rejoiced in the spirit for the marvelous things that the Elohim has done, he rejoiced in the spirit, and this is followed by him raising his voice unto his father for revealing this unto him but hidden it from the rich people of the world.

“In that hour Jesus rejoiced in spirit, and said, I thank thee, O Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that thou hast hid these things from the wise and prudent, and hast revealed them unto babes: even so, Father; for so it seemed good in thy sight.” (Luk. 10:21)

The spirit here in made mention of is his spirit, or what is called soul. This soul rejoices for what has been done and prayed to God.

We are also spiritually inclined, when something is done for us by our heavenly father, our spirit would be lifted up, our spirit would praise him and when our spirit is praising him like that, what behooves us is to lift our voices to him in prayers.

If we remain in this body of flesh, it is sure that we shall be having ups and downs in the world. During our moments of “ups”, that is when we usually become happy, while during our moment of “downs”, that is when we become sad, discouraged, pissed off.

When we are passing through a situation like this, the counsel of the apostle to us is that we should not allow that to weigh us down such that we shall enter depressive mood but we should raise our voice to the Lord in prayers, and when we do such we would see God’s hands resting on us, and our hearts would be relieved off those burdens.

“Is any among you afflicted? let him pray. Is any merry? let him sing psalms.” (Jam. 5:13)

Greek word for afflicted here is “κακοπαθέω”, Romanized form is kakopatheō (pronounced as kak-op-ath-eh'-o) which means undergo hardship, suffer trouble.

Since the fall of men in the garden of Eden it is no gain saying that this has become a recurrent phenomenon of all humans on earth, if you will live long in the world, you will surely experience periods of hardships.

Having known that the world is full of “ups and downs”, the apostles also having passed through the world once and having experienced both facets in their Christian race cannot but tell believers and saints that, when they are in their “ups”, when they are happy, when everything they want is always at their possession what they should do is lift up their voices to their maker in prayers.

“Is any among you afflicted? let him pray. Is any merry? let him sing psalms.” (Jam. 5:13)

Some during their times or merriment that is when they forget God, that is when they think all that they possessed, they possess through their power and making like that fool whose story Jesus was shared with his followers in the book of Luke 12: 14-21.

The world is passing through one of the hardest times this decade if not century. However, despite that we should also pray unto him in this condition.

Having talked about the world, I want us to know as individuals too, when we take ill, we should not speak as the fools speak, but we should acknowledge God during that period like Job did and cry unto him for healing because he has the power to heal.

“Is any sick among you? let him call for the elders of the church; and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord:

“And the prayer of faith shall save the sick, and the Lord shall raise him up; and if he have committed sins, they shall be forgiven him.” (Jam. 5:14-15; Isa. 38:1; Acts 28:8)

The apostle herein says we can call unto elders, but for those in the rural areas, those who are itinerant ministers taken the gospel to the people who have not heard before, when they are sick, they should call unto the Lord by faith and they would be healed, for he says,

“They shall take up serpents; and if they drink any deadly thing, it shall not hurt them; they shall lay hands on the sick, and they shall recover.” (Mar 16:18)

Many of us have exempted ourselves from this blessing and would think it cannot work for us when there are no brethren around us to join us in prayers. But nothing could be farther from the truth than this, we are also included in the blessing, we can lay hands on ourselves and command the demons of sickness and infirmities out of our bodies and it would hearken unto us, because we are his children.

I know genuine believers always flee from sins, because that is what we have been called to, because that is the nature of God in us. However, in some instances, we may transgress and fall into sin, when this happens, we should not allow devil to weigh us down by his lies for he is a father of lies, but we should go to our God to talk to him, telling him how deeply sorry we are to have transgressed and he would pardon us.

This is one of the attributes of King David, outside the fact that he praises God, he also knows how to go back to him when his human nature has pushed him against his maker and benefactor.

This is one of the reasons why the kingdom was given him and established with his lineage. King Saul fails in this aspect. (Ps. 51; Jam. 5:16)

When nation or family or town falls into sin, a collective sin. God is not expecting them to hide their sins from him because there is nothing hidden from us. (Jdg 3:9)

When someone is being unjustly punished and wants God to avenge him of those enemies, he should cry unto the Lord in prayer.

Like the story which Jesus shared to corroborate this, the vengeance expected may not come immediately but the person should not relent in talking to the Lord that he must visit his or her enemies in His wrath. (Deut. 32:35, 42-43; Lk. 18:1-7)

When there is dearth in the land, the Godly minded people should cry out to God to remember his promises on the inhabitants of the world. (2 Chro. 7:13; Jam. 5:18)

During the time of pestilence and pandemics we should call out to God to deliver us.

“If I shut up heaven that there be no rain, or if I command the locusts to devour the land, or if I send pestilence among my people;” (2 Chro. 7:13b)

When there is famine in the land, we should call out to God to deliver us. (Joel 2:15-19)

These are some of the occasions which have led people to cry out to God in the bible and when we do the same, we are not digressing from the way.

In the next article, I would be finishing with the occasions that have propelled people to pray to God in the bible.