LIVING WATERS
For the proclamation of the Gospel and the edification of the Body of Christ
The Blessings of Prayer
"And the Lord said, I have surely seen the affliction of my people which are in Egypt, and have heard their cry by reason of their taskmasters; for I know their sorrows; and I am come down to deliver them out of the hand of the Egyptians" (Exodus 3:7-8).
In His dealings with mankind, nothing is more important to God than prayer. And, for human beings, prayer is equally important. Not to pray is to fail in duty, in service and in spiritual progress.
God helps the man or woman who prays. Therefore, the person who does not pray is depriving himself of God's help and puts him in a situation where He cannot help him. Faith, hope, patience and all the manifestations of piety languish and die in a prayerless life.
On the contrary, individual blessings for the believer germinate, blossom and bear fruit in prayer. But prayer has a larger sphere, a more compelling duty, a higher inspiration. The will and glory of God merge into one in prayer.
The days of God's renown and splendor have always been the great days of prayer. The great movements of God in this world have been conditioned, continued and shaped by prayer. God has intervened in these great movements only when men and women have prayed.
Actual prayer, persistent prayer, prevailing prayer, has always succeeded in making God present. The movement of God that brought Israel out of slavery in Egypt had its beginning in prayer. Hence, from the very beginning, the fact is established that prayer is a solid foundation on which God's movements in the world are built. (E.M. Bounds).