One prayer eagle said to me recently:
God bless all those who tell others to just pray...
... anytime someone talks about their problem.
But the wisdom of saying "just pray" is not implementable in the current state of the world.
Assuming the person being told to "just pray" is like the average believer of today...
How would they even know what to pray?
When to pray?
How to sustain the prayer momentum when things get from bad to worse?
I had to agree with her.
Because that very morning I had re-read Acts 16 for the umpteenth time.
It's about a glorious prayer riot by the dynamic duo of prayer eagles - Paul and Silas.
Beaten and battered for casting out a demon of divination in the city of Philippi.
Then unceremoniously thrown into prison.
Undefeated, they waited until the midnight hour to begin their prayer riot.
Their prayer mingled with high praises unto the LORD was so strong it literally caused an earthquake!
Here's the biblical report:
And suddenly there was a great earthquake, so that the foundations of the prison were shaken: and immediately all the doors were opened, and every one's bands were loosed. - Acts 16:26
Midnight prayers.
Door-opening prayers.
Earthquake of great deliverance prayers.
This is a blueprint for how today's believers should be praying.
Here in Firesprings, our mandate remains the same:
To push 21st century believers into this manner of prayer.
Provoke them to inject holy madness into their prayers.
Even if I have to do it with them kicking and screaming all the way.
Let me share a secret with you:
Even I had to be dragged kicking and screaming into doing this... I didn't want to do it at first.
But once I dipped my toe into the testimony-producing waters of this heavenly assignment there was no way I could stop.
Even if I wanted to.
Because the blessings and benefits (to me and millions out there) are sweeter than honey.
It is impossible to put a price to it.
What do I mean?
Look at the email I received today:
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"I have been sending emails regarding prayers for marriage restoration. I was rejected by my husband, he blocked my number, I love him and I want him to come back. Please pray for me that my prodigal husband will return back to me. Thanks."
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I receive thousands like this every month.
Do you think it is possible for me (one man) to EFFECTIVELY pray over them all?
Of course not.
So what do I do?
I write back to her, gently persuading her to learn to pray for herself.
(Maybe not so gently, come to think of it).
More importantly, I provide her with the tools to get the job done if she should feel so inclined.
I invite her to sign up for my emails (a great channel of daily encouragement in a world full of so much depressing news).
... quickly learned how to pray their way out of such problems.
Speaking about marital problems, a new bonus has just been dropped into the Forum X.
It demonstrates how to deal with marital problems and restore love and honey in any marriage, no matter how bad things have become.
(Revealed in there is a marriage sec'ret never told).