WEEK 6 (12 May to 17 May)
The Source of Prayer
Text: Psalm 42:1-4
There was a story told about a commercial pilot and a pastor. Both these persons had finished their tasks on earth and were heading toward heaven. They met St Peter at heaven’s gate. When Peter saw the pilot, he was delighted. He checked through his name roll, ushered the pilot into an inner chamber and placed a golden robe over him. Then came the pastor’s turn. Full of expectation, he was looking forward to his reward. After looking at his list, Peter took the pastor to another chamber and placed an ordinary robe over him. Disappointed, the pastor thought that Peter had made a mistake. After all, he had been doing God’s work all his life. He approached Peter for an explanation. Peter said to him, “Look, the pilot may have been flying a plane, but each time he makes a landing, everyone automatically starts to pray; however, whenever you preach in church, everyone starts to sleep…”
Beloved, jokes aside, prayer is serious business. We all need to start praying. It is our hope that as you journey through this season of prayer, you will be fully encouraged and be able to discover the ways of God and know Him in a very intimate way. God is our source of prayer. There are three main areas to take note of as we seek God.
(1) There must be a yearning for God
“…as the deer pants for the water, so our soul longs for the living God.” Psalm 42:1
First, the yearning for God comes from knowing who the source of life is. Psalm 42 teaches us that as the deer “pants” for the water, so we should also “long” for God. The deer knows it needs water more than anything else; it knows where to find its source of life. Do we know ours? As spiritual beings, let us cultivate a longing to turn to our spiritual source - God Himself.
Next, the yearning for God comes from a thirsting for Him. When our Lord Jesus met the woman at the well, as recorded in John 4, He offered her the water of life. The wonderful response from the woman was, “Sir, give me this water so that I won’t get thirsty.” (John 4:15) This woman was very wise; she seized the opportunity and asked for that living water! She knew God had offered something that was eternal - she would never thirst again. Beloved, are you longing for God? Do you seize every opportunity to come to God, so that you will never thirst again? You need to believe in what God can do for you. We need to trust Him.
(2) We need personal time with God
Time with God is essential. I always remember the words of this song, “How long has it been since you talked with the Lord and told Him your heart’s hidden secrets? How long since you prayed, how long since you stayed on your knees till the light shone through…?”
The people of God kept their time with Him. Abraham met with God. When God told Abraham that his descendants would be as great as those numerous stars in heaven, he responded by believing in the Lord. (Genesis 15:1-6) Moses met with God in the mountain; it was a great encounter for him. (Exodus 24) David’s encounter with God enabled him to face and defeat Goliath, the giant. (1 Samuel 17) Daniel kept his time with God and prayed three times a day in spite of the fact this act threatened his life (Daniel 6). The best model of prayer, our Lord Jesus, always kept a personal time with His Heavenly Father. (Matthew 4:1-4; Luke 2:52) Are we spending time with God today? Let us not compromise it for something else.
I remember this wonderful testimony of a Singapore Airlines pilot, Captain C. P. Ting, who flew the Airbus A380 on its inaugural flight from Singapore to Sydney. The day before this all-important flight, he had a prayer session with a pastor who gave him assurance that the whole matter was in God’s hand. He was filled with great peace as he flew the big plane. Ting testified, “Fellow pilots asked if I was nervous. They couldn’t appreciate the calmness and confidence of Jesus in me. Without Jesus, I would have melted under the pressure from the passengers, the company, fellow pilots, TV and newspapers, spectators and worldwide audiences. Singaporeans watched the smooth landing into Singapore from France. They praised me; I praise God. People all over the world praised me for the perfect landing into Sydney because I was the captain. I praised Jesus because I was His co-pilot. (Jesus) was and will always be my Captain. He is the one who used my hands to make perfect landings.” It is assuring to know God is the source of our life and He directs our every move. It is through prayers that we discover God’s presence with greater joy and confidence.
(3) God reveals Himself to us
The Bible reminds us that God is ever ready to reveal Himself to us. We can experience God in a personal way. Jesus says, “Come to Me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.” (Matthew 11:28). Peter exhorts, “Cast all your anxiety on Him because He cares for you.” (1 Peter 5:7) It is comforting to know as we approach God, He shows us His great love and mercy.
Dr Jack Deere used to be a very conservative lecturer and preacher but after having witnessing the mighty work of God, he was blessed with the gift of healing. In his book, “Surprised by the Power of the Holy Spirit”, he described his first experience of praying for Ruth Gay, a church member. Ruth was suffering from aneurysm, a swelling in the blood vessels that might result in death.
Deere and his ministry team were invited to pray for Ruth the Monday before her operation. The team prayed very calmly, specifically asking God to heal her. Deere said, “We didn’t rebuke any demons, or shout or work up any religious excitement. We didn’t pray for the Lord to guide the doctor’s hands. We asked the Lord to use His own hands to touch this blood vessel and take away the aneurysm”. After that prayer, Deere said, “None of us heard the Lord speak directly that night, nor did we see any overt supernatural sign or manifestation. When we left the house, however, we all had a sense that the Lord had healed Ruth.”
On Wednesday morning, Deere received a call from Ruth saying, “Jack, I have been healed.” After her second angiogram, the surprised doctor confirmed that her aneurysm had gone. Imagine the joy Deere and his team had! They knew it was the work of God.
Beloved, I want to pray with you that somehow you too can be given the blessing from God to touch and heal you. We know some of us not only need physical healing, but emotional as well as spiritual healing. Pray that you will open yourself to God today! Let us yearn for God; Let us make time for God. Let Him reveal Himself to you and heal you. All you need is to trust and believe Him.
- Rev Lee Yam Kai
