Effective Prayer

Vincent van Gogh - resurrection of Lazarus

In Matthew chapter 7, in verses 7 through 11, we read,

"7.  Keep on asking, and you will be given what you ask for. Keep on looking, and you will find.  Keep on knocking, and the door will be opened.  8.  For everyone who asks, receives. Everyone who seeks, finds.  And the door is opened to everyone who knocks.  9.  You parents-if your children ask for a loaf of bread, do you give them a stone instead? 10. Or if they ask for a fish, do you give them a snake? Of course not! 11.  If you sinful people know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give good gifts to those who ask him."

It's been two months since my last blog. November was a very eventful month. My father-in-law passed away just after midnight on November 12th, back in my country of birth. My wife and I made plans to travel a day later to attend the funeral services. It was the first Thanksgiving we had been separated from our two children. Even though, when a loved one departs, it's a sad event, my 84 year old father-in-law's death was full of hope for us as Christians.

You see, until about two weeks or so before his death, our relation had not been the best. Not because of our doing, but since my marriage to his daughter, he had sort of built a wall between us that I found very hard to cross over.  My wife and I traveled many hours to show our children when they were born, but the reception we got was icy cold to the point that he didn't seem to care.  It was so hurtful that I decided never to travel back. About two or three weeks before his death he was approached by a man of God who had no knowledge of his frayed relationship with his daughters (he had six daughters) and told him that time was near and that he needed to make peace with his children.  My father-in-law with the help of his wife made it a point to reach out to all his daughters. After a lengthy conversation between him and my wife, I remember the happy glow in her face, she had re-discovered her dad of her childhood.  He belonged to a very strong, family oriented church who was very instrumental in his radical change prior to his sudden death.  Though very saddened by his death, more so we were overjoyed to hear of the change in him which we to some extent realized in my wife's last conversations with him.

Our relationship had been a prayer topic for years that God answered with the change in his attitude towards all his children. On this trip I was also able to see first hand another miracle. One of my cousins that I had grown up with and loved had become an alcoholic to the point that he was dysfunctional without it. He grew up in a wealthy family enjoying the nicer things in life. But as an adult, he had destroyed his family's life, his business, and his own life. The last time I had seen him was about five years ago. He didn't look well. For a fifty something old man, he looked much older. He looked frail and sickly; honestly, I didn't think he was going to make it. He had been someone I had been praying over the years for God to intervene and make a change in his life. What is impossible and unthinkable for man, is possible for God.

On my recent visit in November to attend my father-in-law's funeral, I decided to pay a visit to my cousin. To my good surprise, he looked younger and fit, nothing like from my last visit. During our conversation, he mentioned that he had stopped drinking alcohol and that he had a new passion. He wanted to discover more about God, for he knew it was God's making that he got out of the clutches of alcoholism. Upon visiting his wife, I found a woman whose prayer had been answered and God had returned her husband back to her. Literally to see my cousin's transformation, I felt like I had witnessed the resurrection of Lazarus. (Ref. John, chapter 11) Here was a new man with a new purpose in his life!

In the old testament book of 1 Kings, we read about a mighty prophet of God, Elijah. We read there were times when he prayed once to God and God answered his prayer. There were other times when he had to pray three times, before God answered his prayer and yet there were other times when he prayed seven time or more before God answered his prayer. Our lesson here is we need to continue to pray in faith until our prayer is answered.

The text I quoted in the beginning are Jesus' instructions to us. He says that we should keep on asking and he states we will be given what we ask for. He instructs us to keep on looking and he states you will find. He instructs us to keep on knocking and he says the door will be opened.  He doesn't say you may perhaps find what you are looking for, or that perhaps you may receive what you are asking for or even perhaps may be the door will be opened to your knocking. There are no whimsical statements here from Jesus, but a confident assurance that you will find, you will receive and the door will be opened to you who keeps at it with your prayer. Your God can't lie for there is no lies in him.

God is not a man, that he should lie.  He is not a human, that he should change his mind.  Has he ever spoken and failed to act? Has he ever promised and not carried it through? - (Numbers 23:19)

May God answer your prayers and enable you to see his glory and those around you to witness his glory!