My brother, my sister, today, allow me to start with my testimony of the first time I was really touched and transformed by the Lord. At that time I was not a committed Christian. I would go to church when I had time, and prayed when I found space, and my prayer was set to a maximum of 15 minutes in the evening, just before going to bed. One night, I went to pray for my normal 15 minutes. It was almost midnight and the next day, because I was a teacher, I was going to go to work, so my prayer was going to be quick… but I did not know that the Lord had set an appointment with me! I started praying, and it seemed I could not stop praying, because that night I kept praying for different people I know. It was very strange because it was not the kinds of prayers I would normally do. At some point of time, I started praying in tongues (I was aware of prayer in tongues, but I did not pray in tongues… Now I was praying the Lord in words I understood, and then in words I did not understand myself). I felt so good, I did not want to stop praying, so I kept praying… by the end of my prayer, the Lord clearly told me “pray for the health of your dad”. And I did. In the morning (it was Friday), I called my mother to ask if dad was sick, she said NO, he was fine. Then I called my brother, already a born-again Christian, and told him of my experience of the night before and He explained to me in his words. And we all left it like that. On Sunday, they called me to say my dad was very sick. Then my sister-in-law reminded everyone that I had called them on Friday and what I had told them. By God’s grace, my father was admitted to hospital, and healed. Glory be to God! And the time he was there, I told my mother, let’s not worry, I am sure he will get well soon. God Himself had put that assurance in me. Since then, the Lord has used me to write these Word of Faith, to pray WITH people around the world and I have seen so many lives transformed by His mighty power that I can only exhort you to take time in His presence…
You see, many people have a prayerful life and will not get tired praying. Yet, they will always have the feeling their prayers are not reaching God, because many of them remain unanswered. The Bible says: “In my distress I called to the Lord; I cried to my God for help. From his temple he heard my voice; my cry came before him, into his ears. The earth trembled and quaked, and the foundations of the mountains shook; they trembled because he was angry“ (Psalm 18:6-7). Yes, God hears our voices and stands up instantly because it makes Him angry to see His people sick while He is the great Healer, poor while all riches belong to Him, unloved while He is Love, etc… You see, today’s verse tell us this “My soul yearns, even faints for the courts of the Lord; my heart and my flesh cry out for the living God” (verse 2). It is true that we can meet God anywhere, at any time. But, we should also know that if going into a church building can help us step aside from the busy mainstream life to meditate and pray, it is entering His courts that we should actually long for. Just remember this: in the Old Testament, before getting to the Holy place where God was dwelling, the priests went through the altar of burnt offerings and the laver where he could be cleansed. It is the same with us today, with the difference that we are individually the temples of God. Therefore when we pray, we should long to enter the courts of the Lord. Yes, so many people’s prayer are done before they reach the courts where the Lord is waiting for them, to hear their requests, guide them, heal them, restore them… My friends, we may indeed find joy, peace and strength not only in the prayers, music, teachings and sermons and when fellowshipping with other believers in a special place. But that is not enough for the Lord to hear our prayers, because the most important in your prayer is when you actually reach His presence, because you cannot come near to the Lord and not be transformed. So, let the Spirit of God guide you and lead you to the Lord’s courts in your prayers, by taking time to be with Him. The Lord is sitting on His throne and He is waiting for you to come to Him. He does not speak in the outer courts, He only speak to us in the Holy of Holies. Stay blessed in Jesus’ name.
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