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 WHY WE PRAY

1 Samuel 12:23 "God forbid that I should sin against the Lord by not praying for you."

Samuel was the last Prophet/Judge that Israel had before demanding that they have a king like the nations around them. God had set them apart to be ruled by Him through His anointed Prophets like Samuel. God told Samuel that the Israelites were not rejecting Samuel's leadership. They were rejecting God's leadership in wanting to be like the nations around them who had a king. When God showed His displeasure to the nation, they were terrified...but not enough to repent and lay down their demand for a king. They were afraid that Samuel would not care for them in God's Name because of their lust to have a king. That is when Samuel declared, "God forbid that I should sin against the Lord by not praying for you. And I will continue to teach you what is good and right."

There are those who do not know the Lord because they have never heard. There are those who may believe that God exists, but don't believe He is that important (a satanic deception). And there are those who have scorned the Word of the Lord because they prefer the fleeting joys of sin and see God's call as restrictive (another satanic lie). Many of these people we work with daily, they are neighbors, relatives or mere acquaintances. Many of them have no one to pray for them.

Someone prayed for every single person that is now a follower of Jesus Christ. Someone prayed for your heart to be softened, for the Holy Spirit to bring His loving conviction, that God would gift you with true repentance and faith. My Great Aunt, Elizabeth West, was awakened at 2 AM when my soul was in jeopardy at 19 years of age. The Lord told her to pray, to intercede for me. She got out of bed and went to her knees for hours until the Lord spoke to her heart and said that the battle had been won; and it had!

I had one recent work situation that was daily and intense spiritual war and vicious personal attack I had never known in 73 years. I went to the Lord and asked Him what I was to do. He spoke to my heart and told me that these folk exhibited hatred toward me because He was living in me and the spirit working in them was enraged at His presence. He then said to me, "They have no one else to pray for them."

I replied that that was enough for me to persevere. At that juncture, I wrote down all their names and others that the Lord brought to mind, both family, friends and colleagues in ministry. I daily strive to lift them all up to the Lord and pray into anything the Lord brings to mind as I bring them before Him.

St. Luke 4:40-41 records this, "As the sun went down that evening, people throughout the village brought sick family members to Jesus. No matter what their diseases were, the touch of His hand healed everyone. Many were possessed by demons; and the demons came out at his command, shouting, “You are the Son of God!” But because they knew He was the Messiah, He rebuked them and refused to let them speak."

The people brought the sick to Jesus, laid them before Him and His touch healed them. People were liberated for demonic deception and control. This is why we bring those who need salvation, deliverance, healing, blessing, grace and mercy to the Lord in prayer. We pray as the Holy Spirit leads us. It's not about fashioning religious sounding phrases as if that would guarantee the Lord's attention. Praying the Scriptures, honest words of concern, even tears for those who are facing a horrifying eternity separated from God, that is what we bring to the One who alone can save, heal and deliver people out of darkness.

Psalm 65:1-4 "What mighty praise, O God, belongs to You in Zion. We will fulfill our vows to You,
2 for You answer our prayers. All of us must come to You. Though we are overwhelmed by our sins,
you forgive them all. What joy for those You choose to bring near, those who live in Your holy courts. What festivities await us inside Your holy Temple."

Those who know that the Lord Jesus has forgiven your sin by taking them all to the cross and bearing them in judgement you could never survive to redeem your life from death, this very reality is meant to move you, to motivate you to pray for those who may have no one else to pray for them. You pray for those who persecute you. You pray for wayward family members. You pray for anyone the Lord puts on your heart. Be instant in prayer when the Lord brings someone to mind. Why? Because the Lord answers our prayers.

He who inspires our prayers, enables us to intercede, answers our cries for others even as Hs answered someone's cries in prayer for us.



4 What joyfor thoseyou choose to bring neaWhat joy for those you choose to bring near, 

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