I have always loved talking to Jesus. Prayer has been a part of my life I would not want to do without.
Right now God is teaching me how powerful prayer is. There is a point where you know something, and then a point where you understand it and your understanding of it becomes a part of who you are. That's where I am with prayer now. I am beginning to learn how powerful it is. I did a search for Bible verses that had any variation of the word, "pray", like, "pray, prayer, praying, prayed." Right now I've gone through any verses in the OT up to Nehemiah.
Why was Nehemiah able to rebuild the wall? Prayer He prayed constantly. Read the book of Nehemiah again, or if you haven't ever read it, read it!!! It's good! A beautiful display of God's forgiveness, and his great love and power.


It is SO HUGE that the God of Heaven would change something down here on earth just because I asked Him to! !!! Think about those little bitty organisms that you pretty much can't see. germs. whatever else is too small to see. In comparison with God, I am even less that a germ is in comparison with a human. I am nothing, and He is everything. And he changes things down here on earth just because I ask him to. Because I prayed, my life, and other's lives will be, and have been changed. I don't say that pridefully, just incredulously!

I can't quite list all the things I've prayed for lately and God has answered those prayers. Things as little as finding a lost pair of scissors, and things as big as Katie's chalk talk and Joe's job. Things like getting my school done on time, getting home safe in potentially terrible weather. Things like the power coming back on this morning. Things I haven't even completely prayed for, like getting a new piano student.I'll have half-prayer/thoughts about things like, "man. I really need some new clothes this season....", or, "it would be really nice to have some more piano students" and then within a week or so, God has provided!


As I was reading through the verses, I found this one, and it really stuck with me.

1Sa 12:23 Moreover, as for me, far be it from me that I should sin against the LORD by ceasing to pray for you, and I will instruct you in the good and the right way.

Sin, that he should cease to pray for them. Not even just sin against them, but sin against GOD. As the prophet, Samuel's intercession for the children of Israel was so important. He was a picture of Christ, and he brought those people before God in prayer when they had sinned, and asked God that they should be allowed to live.


Another verse that struck me was 1Ki 8:54. Now as Solomon finished offering all this prayer and plea to the LORD, he arose from before the altar of the LORD, where he had knelt with hands outstretched toward heaven.
There were actually a lot of verses so far that have mentioned the people who were praying having their hands stretched towards heaven, or the temple. I haven't figured the significance of the hands out yet, but I hope to figure it out soon. Any thoughts/verses on this are welcomed. =P


So, this was my Bible study this morning, and probably will be what I do for the next few days. I've got 289 verses on prayer to go through. =D

I'm really looking forward to being able to pray more effectively. Prayer without faith is not effective, and it is harder to have faith when you don't understand the true power of prayer.
Jas 1:5 If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given him. Jas 1:6 But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea that is driven and tossed by the wind. Jas 1:7 For that person must not suppose that he will receive anything from the Lord;

If I pray without faith, I might as well not have prayed at all. But you know, I think the neat thing is that sometimes even when we pray without faith, our God is SO GOOD that he STILL answers those prayers. To have a God that answers faithless prayers, and prayers that we don't even take the time to pray, I'm just blown away. Such knowledge is too wonderful for me; it is high, I cannot attain unto it. (Ps. 136:9)