Power Prayer is Quitting Prayer
Power prayer is quitting prayer. But no-one wants that--they'll crucify you if you even think of introducing that idea in their prayer meetings. In fact, they love long prayers and prayer sessions. They think, the longer the better, the more spiritual. They want it long, poetic, dramatic, carefully worded and modulated.
They still do it today--babbling words, making it long, and opting for high-sounding content. Often, it's a contest of whose prayer sounds more sublime and spiritual. This, no matter if my Jesus has tipped us about what prayer is not. That's the problem with this generation--it knows Jesus' words but adamant about doing things to the contrary--doing it their way, their standard--and calling that Christianity.
In the Lord's prayer, my Jesus taught us an ultra simple and very generalized prayer. Yet some smart Alecks insist that we keep prayers specific. Jesus just put a short generalized sentence about our needs in his prayer: "Give us today our daily bread." That simple. To Jesus, that covers everything we need. Simply say that wholeheartedly (or make it even shorter, like "penge" or let me have) and God gets what you mean--plus more--right away. No need to explain--because he knows we need them before we ask. In fact, power prayer is quitting prayer.
But our stubborn, bird-brain generation still wants to complicate things, like the ACTS formula, prayer of Jabez, overnight prayer meetings, etc. Jesus did stress one thing about prayer--what matters is our worship in prayer and radical surrender to his will---which no-one wants. Everybody wants all talk---and good talk at that---but no surrendering. Because if you're totally surrendered, there's no need to pray---and especially you quit the kind of prayer men's churches pray today.
Totally surrendered means we let God decide everything, so no need to ask, petition or request. But Paul the apostle said we let our request be made known to God [Philippians 4.6-7]. Not that God wouldn't know it if we didn't tell him, but it gives the human mind satisfaction to put our needs in the list. But the verse says we just need to mention it for our sake, not pray a long prayer.
Nonetheless, if we know what it is to be "totally surrendered to the will of God," we'd quickly get the idea that we don't need to ask or petition anything because we trust God in everything. All we need is worship and thanksgiving in our prayers.
And if churches really surrender everything to Jesus, they should totally give up all their denomination possessions and properties, sell them and give to the poor. That's totally surrendered. But no one wants to do that.
Men's churches say prayer has got to have this and that and those and more of the above. When they pray for a meal, they need to pray long prayers, explaining to God how the food affects health and how the body absorbs its nutrients, even praying for those starving in Bangladesh and Africa and Pluto.
Men's churches say prayer has got to have this and that and those and more of the above. When they pray for a meal, they need to pray long prayers, explaining to God how the food affects health and how the body absorbs its nutrients, even praying for those starving in Bangladesh and Africa and Pluto.
But Jesus merely looked up to heaven and said, "Thanks!" and the Father was so delighted that he multiplied a few bread and fish to feed thousands. He didn't ask the bread and fish to be multipied. He just trusted that the Father knew what to do. He was fully surrendered. Jesus' prayer was radically short and simple. Why can't that get through our thick skulls? Why can't we understand that it's not our words but our hearts that God looks at?
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When the heart that seeks God's face moans and groans, it is enough for God. No need for words. His Spirit inspires the moans and groans in us and he intercedes for us according to God's will.
"We, who have the Spirit of God, groan inwardly...the Spirit himself intercedes for us through wordless groans. 27 And he who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for God’s people in accordance with the will of God." [Romans 8.23-27]
Man's earthly language or words only limit prayers.
When I say short prayers before meals or snacks in fellowships, they think it's odd. They laugh and look at me like I was dumb and funny. Like I didn't understand anything about prayer. A long time ago, one senior minister asked me, "What kind of prayer is that?" after I said a short prayer for lunch. "It's not spiritual!" he added. So he had another pastor pray for the meal, and the pastor did a long, poetic and dramatic one. "Now that's the prayer of a spiritual person!" he exclaimed.
You hear them preach and teach how God looks at the heart, not our deeds or words. But when they pray, they do it all the same--babble and make everything long and nice and poetic.
In one parable, my Jesus introduced a new prayer--it's simply by going to bed with the Father. It's a powerful prayer. A neighbor had a guest and he had no bread to feed him. So he went to his neighbor and kept knocking and knocking on the door, though it was late. The neighbor told him, "I can't get up and give you bread because my children are already with me in bed."
You may opt to knock and knock and the door will indeed be opened, but you may also go for a higher option--sleep with the Father in bed. That way, no need to knock, no need to pray. Well, prayer here is in the form of a soft whisper, like--"Dad, I'm hungry!" Or, the Father will simply look you in the face and say, "You can't sleep? I know--you're hungry. Let me fix you a glass of warm milk."
No need to pray--because prayer has taken on a higher level. Your spirit bears witness with the Father's spirit. At this level, prayer becomes life. And you quit man's prayer--what he does in his religion and church to be seen by people. Quitting it is powerful.
Ever-increasing glory in prayer and worship is--"Be still; simply know that I am God."
You hear them preach and teach how God looks at the heart, not our deeds or words. But when they pray, they do it all the same--babble and make everything long and nice and poetic.
In one parable, my Jesus introduced a new prayer--it's simply by going to bed with the Father. It's a powerful prayer. A neighbor had a guest and he had no bread to feed him. So he went to his neighbor and kept knocking and knocking on the door, though it was late. The neighbor told him, "I can't get up and give you bread because my children are already with me in bed."
You may opt to knock and knock and the door will indeed be opened, but you may also go for a higher option--sleep with the Father in bed. That way, no need to knock, no need to pray. Well, prayer here is in the form of a soft whisper, like--"Dad, I'm hungry!" Or, the Father will simply look you in the face and say, "You can't sleep? I know--you're hungry. Let me fix you a glass of warm milk."
No need to pray--because prayer has taken on a higher level. Your spirit bears witness with the Father's spirit. At this level, prayer becomes life. And you quit man's prayer--what he does in his religion and church to be seen by people. Quitting it is powerful.
Ever-increasing glory in prayer and worship is--"Be still; simply know that I am God."
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