Prayer

A quick read of any part of the Bible will reveal that prayer holds a major place in the Scriptures.  

• MOSES.
  His prayers had more to do with the outcome of the battle than did the hand-to-hand fighting of Joshua or his soldiers in this clash with the Amalekites. “As long as Moses held up his hands, the Israelites were winning, but whenever he lowered his hands, the Amalekites were winning.” (Exodus 17:11)  

• ESTHER.
  Even though Esther was the queen, approaching the king’s throne uninvited could result in her execution. She had an important request to make of the monarch, but before she put her life on the line by walking into his presence, she asked her cousin Mordecai to organize the Jews throughout the city to fast and pray for three days. “Go, gather together all the Jews who are in Susa, and fast for me. Do not eat or drink for three days, night or day. I and my maids will fast as you do. When this is done, I will go to the king, even though it is against the law. And if I perish, I perish.” (Esther 4:16)  

• DANIEL.
  Daniel was a very gifted and humble man. Though a captive of war since his youth, he rose through the ranks to be a trusted advisor to the kings of Babylonia and Persia. In spite of a busy schedule, he made it a regular habit of taking breaks to pray. “Now when Daniel learned that the decree had been published, he went home to his upstairs room where the windows opened toward Jerusalem. Three times a day he got down on his knees and prayed, giving thanks to his God, just as he had done before.” (Daniel 6:10)  

• NEHEMIAH.
  Nehemiah served the king of Persia. Upon hearing the report that the walls meant to protect Jerusalem were still broken down, his response is recorded in the first chapter of Nehemiah. “For some days I mourned and fasted and prayed before the God of heaven. Then I said: ‘O Lord, God of heaven, the great and awesome God, who keeps His covenant of love with those who love Him and obey His commands, let Your ear be attentive and Your eyes open to hear the prayer Your servant is praying before You day and night for Your servants, the people of Israel.’” (Nehemiah 1:4–6)  The remainder of the book is the story of how Nehemiah led the charge to rebuild those walls and add protection to Jerusalem.

• JESUS.
  While this member of the triune God was clothed in human flesh, He remained in constant communication with His Father in Heaven. It wasn’t a matter of being disciplined enough to pray, but it was as important to Him as oxygen. The Scriptures often record Jesus finding a solitary place to talk with His Father. One such instance, after a long day of ministry, tells us that “Very early in the morning, while it was still dark, Jesus got up, left the house and went off to a solitary place, where He prayed.” (Mark 1:35)  

• PAUL.
  The apostle was a highly motivated man, yet he knew that the effective spread of the gospel would not be because of his work ethic. Therefore, he asked others to pray for his ministry. “And pray for us, too, that God may open a door for our message, so that we may proclaim the mystery of Christ, for which I am in chains.” (Colossians 4:3)  

APPLE OF HIS EYE CHARITY.
From the inception of AHEC, prayer has played a vital role. Now that the office is bigger, TJ stops everyone’s activities at noon each weekday to band together and pray for an hour. Whereas our engines are lowercase, she knows that we need the capitalized ENGINE of God. All are welcome to stop by our office and join her and many others in prayer.

By Marlon Furtado