Dear Ministry Leaders/Friends:
As we continue through our sermon series on “Prayerful Guidance”, our focus this morning is to understand the power of praying with an earnest spirit. (Acts. 12:1-17) ‘
When the early church heard that Peter had been put in prison, they went and join hands together in prayer. Luke, who wrote the Book of Acts, was a doctor so we are not surprised that he used a medical term for “constant prayer.” In the Greek, this word describes stretching a muscle to its limit. One could translate the phrase “but prayer stretched-out to its limit was being made by the church to God for him.”
Earnest prayer has power not because it, in itself, persuades a reluctant God, but because it demonstrates that our hearts care passionately about the things that our Father cares about. This is a fulfilling of Jesus’ promise: “If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, you will ask what you desire, and it shall be done for you” (John 15:7).
One way to describe earnest prayer in through the acronym of “PUSH” (Pray Until Something Happens) God wants His children to continue to pray until something happens. The goal is to put away distractions enough that we can focus on interceding for others.
God answered the prayer of the interceding early church and sent a heavenly messenger, an angel, to release Peter from his cell. Peter then went to the house where the church was gathered and knocked on the door. But these believers didn’t hear Peter because they were still in “PUSH” mode. Let us develop earnest heart as we pray, pray until something happens. Real earnestness always shows up in persistence.
Let us my reminded that when we pray “PUSH”, we’ll see results. The early church did, and so will we.
Be Blessed!
PG
Jun 13-2021
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