PRAYER
PROVOKES BLESSINGS
Memorise: For every one that asketh receiveth;
and he that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened. - Matthew 7:8
Read: Luke 1:5-14 (KJV)
5 There was in the days of Herod,
the king of Judaea, a certain priest named Zacharias, of the course of Abia:
and his wife was of the daughters of Aaron, and her name was Elisabeth.
6 And they were both righteous before
God, walking in all the commandments and ordinances of the Lord blameless.
7 And they had no
child, because that Elisabeth was barren, and they both were now well stricken
in years.
8 And it came to pass, that while he
executed the priest's office before God in the order of his course,
9 According to the custom of the
priest's office, his lot was to burn incense when he went into the temple of
the Lord.
10 And the whole multitude of the
people were praying without at the time of incense.
11 And there appeared unto him an
angel of the Lord standing on the right side of the altar of incense.
12 And when Zacharias saw him, he
was troubled, and fear fell upon him.
13 But the angel said unto him, Fear
not, Zacharias: for thy prayer is heard; and thy wife Elisabeth shall bear thee
a son, and thou shalt call his name John.
14 And thou shalt have joy and
gladness; and many shall rejoice at his birth.
Bible In One Year: 2 Chronicles 1-3; Luke
20:19-47
MESSAGE
One great lesson from Jacob’s Penile experience, documented in Genesis 32:24-32, is that prayer provokes
blessing. A key part of this experience in Genesis
32:28-29 thus read:
“And he said, Thy name shall be
called no more Jacob, but Israel: for as a prince hast thou power with God and
with men, and hast prevailed. And Jacob asked him, and said, Tell me, I pray
thee, thy name. And he said, Wherefore is it that thou dost ask after my name?
And he blessed him there.”
After changing Jacob’s name to Israel, the Lord further blessed him. This tells
us that having a new name is desirable, but securing a blessing that will
empower the new name to achieve its prophetic meaning in the life of its
recipient is even more preferable. Some people who once had negative names have
changed them; this is good but don’t stop here. Ask that God will bless your
new identity, so that your new name will speedily work for you and finally take
you to your place of destiny.
Similarly, you will notice that a blessing was pronounced on Israel in the
place of prayer, not at some other place. Blessings are attracted to you while
you are praying. The blessings that manifest after your moments of concerted
prayers were first delivered to you in the place of prayer. In Acts 12:1-17, it was while the children of God
were taking turns to pray that freedom was delivered to Peter who had been
incarcerated by the authorities. In addition, the gift of a baby boy, in the
person of John the Baptist, was delivered to Zacharias while he and the people
were praying in the temple. This gift manifested nine months later (Luke 1:65-66).
Effective prayer is like a collection basket for blessing. If you can pray, you
will have a place where your required blessings will be dropped for you, but if
you cannot pray, you can be certain that even when God decides to give you a
particular blessing out of mercy, you will not have a receptacle to receive it.
This is one reason why some blessings that are brought to people are returned
to Heaven. Effective and sustained praying over an issue tells the heavenly
hosts that you are truly prepared to receive what you are asking for. Prayer
provides that landing platform for your miracles and blessings. You desire God
to bless you; have you prepared the platform on which the answer to your
request will be laid?
Key Point: Prayer is a platform for collection, and only those who
engage in it will reap its dividends.
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