One of the greatest lessons a parent can teach their child is how to act or respond in accordance with their location. When you are at the park, this is the time to run, scream and let loose. When you are in a building, such as a church or a restaurant, this is the time to walk and be reserved. I believe with all my heart that the Father is alerting the church to the time and place that we are in so that we can respond correctly and adequately.
In Acts chapter three we see that Paul and Silas went up together to the temple at the hour of prayer, the ninth hour. I like how the scripture gives such detail. It wasn’t just any old time or place, it was a specific location and time. We are living in such a time and season; it is our hour of prayer and it is required just before the return of Jesus. Remember that prayer is not about quantity as much as it is quality. It’s about privileged access to the supplies of the kingdom which are required and needed to fulfill God’s plan and will.
You may be asking, “Why is it our hour of prayer?” It is our hour of prayer because of what prayer is, what it produces, and how it transforms our verbal and physical response to the ongoing strategy of the enemy. We are living in a time unlike any other that demands a determined focus and perseverance that can only be acquired in the presence of the Master.
I believe that prayer has been misunderstood as it lends to the idea of a tedious and laboring effort that may or may not produce the desired results. This is because we have gotten the cart before the horse so to speak. Prayer must be redefined as time spent strategically and purposefully in order to see and hear throughout our day, every day, not just on special events or during a crisis. Last month I mentioned that prayer is not about giving out as much as it is the taking in. When we have planned, pursued and protected practices to wait for, seek, and minister before the Lord the outcome is renewed strength, rewarded diligence, and revealed counsel. We have wrestled with prayer because we speak and make ourselves heard making it about activity instead of coming before His presence with singing and into His courts with praise and thanksgiving (Psalms 100:1-5). The goal is to make Him big, bringing attention to the knowledge of our God and what He has promised and accomplished. A quick pro-tip: promises are prayer tools.
Prayer changes your location. Prayer is a spiritual activity that places you out of the limited regions of the natural and into the unrestricted realm of the spirit. It removes time and space and places you into the atmosphere of heaven. This is why Paul wrote in Galatian 5:16 (NKJV), “I say then; Walk in the Spirit” Paul also wrote in 1 Thessalonians 5:17, “Pray without ceasing.” Prayer is the gateway into the supernatural, the spirit realm, and walking in the spirit is simply keeping an open line and awareness of He who is eternal and without change.
I want you to see the lifestyle that Jesus maintained while on earth. Luke 5:16 says, “So He (Jesus) Himself often withdrew into the wilderness and prayed.” Luke 6:12 reads, “Now it came to pass in those days that He went out to the mountain to pray, and continued all night in prayer to God.” One more, John 11:38 says, “Then Jesus, again groaning in Himself….” What I want you to see is that after a long day of ministry, Jesus prayed. Before choosing the twelve disciples, Jesus prayed. In the midst of a major life tragedy, Jesus prayed. Jesus prayed without ceasing maintaining a spiritual level that kept the ploys of the enemy exposed and at bay.
I want to end with one of my opening statements. Jesus, as our example, proved that prayer is about seeing and hearing. John 5:19 reads, “Then Jesus answered and said to them, “Most assuredly, I say to you, the Son can do nothing of Himself, but what He sees the Father do; for whatever He does, the Son also does in like manner.” John 12:50 says, “And I know that His command is everlasting life. Therefore, whatever I speak, just as the Father has told Me, so I speak.” Prayer produces what to say and what to do. We act out what we see, and we repeat and campaign for what we have heard. When our words and actions are sourced by the Spirit from time in prayer, every challenge and opposition we face becomes nothing more than an opportunity for victories and manifestation of the miraculous. We will continue along these lines next month.
I want to give you some exciting news. Our new website is underway and will be live very soon. In addition to our website, we will also offer a mobile app that will provide easy access to MMI content.