Prayer and The Windows of Heaven
Acts 4.29-30
29 Now, Lord, consider their threats and enable your servants to speak your word with great boldness. 30 Stretch out your hand to heal and perform signs and wonders through the name of your holy servant Jesus.”
Prayer is the secret of spiritual strength.
The three greatest needs in the church today are to experience the Power of the Resurrection, the Baptism With the Holy Spirit and the Power of Prayer. In the first four chapters of Acts we see all three of these components dominating the early Church. In fact, in each chapter in the Book of Acts you have heard me say, “They were either on their way to a prayer meeting, at a prayer meeting or coming from a prayer meeting.”
After this first persecution we see their prayer in vs.24-29. I love how they begin by addressing the LORD God as the One Who created the heavens, the earth and the sea and everything in them. It was His power that did this. It is recorded for us in the first words of the Bible, “In the Beginning God created the heavens and the earth.” Then the next verses give the order of how He created everything in that first week of the earth’s history. Very important that we accept this for what it says. If we can’t we are going to have trouble with the rest of the Bible.
Proverbs 8.22-31
“The Lord brought me forth as the first of His works,
before His deeds of old;
23 I was formed long ages ago,
at the very beginning, when the world came to be.
24 When there were no watery depths, I was given birth,
when there were no springs overflowing with water;
25 before the mountains were settled in place,
before the hills, I was given birth,
26 before He made the world or its fields
or any of the dust of the earth.
27 I was there when he set the heavens in place,
when He marked out the horizon on the face of the deep,
28 when He established the clouds above
and fixed securely the fountains of the deep,
29 when He gave the sea its boundary
so the waters would not overstep his command,
and when He marked out the foundations of the earth.
30 Then I was constantly at His side.
I was filled with delight day after day,
rejoicing always in His presence,
31 rejoicing in His whole world
and delighting in mankind.
before His deeds of old;
23 I was formed long ages ago,
at the very beginning, when the world came to be.
24 When there were no watery depths, I was given birth,
when there were no springs overflowing with water;
25 before the mountains were settled in place,
before the hills, I was given birth,
26 before He made the world or its fields
or any of the dust of the earth.
27 I was there when he set the heavens in place,
when He marked out the horizon on the face of the deep,
28 when He established the clouds above
and fixed securely the fountains of the deep,
29 when He gave the sea its boundary
so the waters would not overstep his command,
and when He marked out the foundations of the earth.
30 Then I was constantly at His side.
I was filled with delight day after day,
rejoicing always in His presence,
31 rejoicing in His whole world
and delighting in mankind.
So wisdom and prayer and the Word of God are all tied into His Creation... the admonition finishes: (vs.32-36)
“Now then, my children, listen to Me;
blessed are those who keep My ways.
33 Listen to My instruction and be wise;
do not disregard it.
34 Blessed are those who listen to Me,
watching daily at My doors,
waiting at My doorway.
35 For those who find Me find life
and receive favor from the Lord.
36 But those who fail to find Me harm themselves;
all who hate Me love death
blessed are those who keep My ways.
33 Listen to My instruction and be wise;
do not disregard it.
34 Blessed are those who listen to Me,
watching daily at My doors,
waiting at My doorway.
35 For those who find Me find life
and receive favor from the Lord.
36 But those who fail to find Me harm themselves;
all who hate Me love death
I imagine these apostles seeing Jesus instantaneously heal helped them accept the Creation Account as it is written. They certainly used it as jump off in their prayer for power. When we see God work it builds up our faith. When we see the Word of God confirmed the church is strengthened in its faith.
Notice they did not pray for protection. They did pray politically. This is a very non politically correct prayed prayer! They named names!
This prayer was addressed to the LORD God Almighty. It was calling on Him to grant help on the earth in their endeavor to obey the LORD. We need to pray this more!
This prayer is a wonderful model. It opened up the windows of heaven! Prayer originates in the heart from the throne of God. Then it goes back up to heaven and the windows of heaven are opened and blessing flow.
We need to realize that the spiritual blessings are above the material blessings. We are well off here in America. We pray more for physical blessings. Go outside the USA and you will see the church crying out to God for strength, for souls to come to Him, for His Name to be glorified. We need to learn from our brothers and sisters in the third world on how to pray.
Jesus said that His Kingdom was not of this world.
What was it about this prayer that shook the place where they were praying?
What kind of prayer opens the windows of heaven?
1-Believing prayer. Hebrews 11. 6 And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to Him must believe that He exists and that He rewards those who earnestly seek Him.
His existence... He was, He is, He always will be.
His Goodness in action (rewards) = One Who pays wages promised.
When believing prayer is offered and it unites with God’s will mountains are moved!
We have seen God’s Hand upon us, upon our lives. We have seen some amazing answers to prayer.
Faith is persistent. Luke 18.1-8
The day before yesterday the doctor told Carolyn that she had a leak in her stomach due to a perforation intestine and if it wasn’t repaired immediately she would be dead by morning.. Because the prognosis wasn’t good they life flighted her to a hospital in Columbus for the emergency operation they had to preform on her due to stomach acid that was draining into her abdomen and causing sepsis! They did 2 scans that showed the perforation and prepared everything for surgery, Then they did another scan but this time the perforation was closing. The doc ordered another scan. He showed Carolyn and Ray both scans and the doctor told them " I don't understand, it seems to be healing itself" (I love it when doctors say this!) But it is clear that all the prayers being offered that it was GOD doing the healing. Tomorrow she’s leaving the hospital! She didn’t have to have the operation because SOMEHOW her perforated stomach/intestine is no longer perforated! Somehow she’s healed....THANK YOU GOD YOU ARE SO GOOD.. thanks for all your prayers from friends and family.
Many of you probably didn’t even know what was happening. Mostly because everything happened so fast and we were all an emotional wreck. I cant imagine life if I lost another child. I cant stop thanking God for HIS healing Carolyn and for His wonderful love. Pearl.
2-United Prayer v.24
United believing prayer is one of the mightiest weapons God has out within reach of His Church. They raised their voices together in prayer to God... they were in one accord...with one mind, with one passion.
Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace. (Ephesians 4.3)
Coming together in prayer, uniting our hearts together around the purposes of the Kingdom of God is an amazing thing.
The results are out of this world!
3-Definite Prayer v.29
They were specific. They knew what they were asking for.
They were asking for what got them in trouble with the authorities! Christian Sarmiento, “Don’t pray for the presecution to stop. Pray that they will continue to be faithful in it.”
We ought to be specific. We have not because ask not. (James 4.2)
We have blessing from asking. “Make this Church a Lighthouse to the community.” Thursday night...
3-Christ Honoring v.30
All for Jesus!
This means that the answer is going to be according to the will of God.
This eliminates selfish prayers.
This means that people are going smell the aroma of Christ. II Corinthians 2.15 For we are the aroma of Christ to God among those who are being saved and among those who are perishing, 16 to one a fragrance from death to death, to the other a fragrance from life to life. Who is sufficient for these things? 17 For we are not, like so many, peddlers of God's word, but as men of sincerity, as commissioned by God, in the sight of God we speak in Christ.
4-Answered v.31
The joy of answered prayer.
It shakes things up!
It accomplishes it purposes!
Our prayers need to change, take in the lost more. Pray over souls!
Seth Rees
May God give us enough religion to stir things. I would rather make folks mad than to have them go to sleep. It is an awful thing to think of people going to hell as they are, and I put the matter to myself sometimes, and say: "Seth Rees, do you believe there is a hell? Do you believe people are going there? Do you preach and act as if you did?" Most of us do not half believe that the people we come in contact with day after day are going to hell. I frequently preach to men who stand on the border lines of eternity, who hear me preach the last time they ever hear any man preach.
Mad at praying!
The early church depended upon prayer. They prayed to a Sovereign God Who can do anything!
Let’s pray!
May there be a demonstration of the Spirit’s power!
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