English Radio Program

08 October 2008

FIND OUT ABOUT PRAYER

But God has surely listened and heard my voice in prayer. Psalm 66:19

Charles Steinmetz was an electrical genius. He was a gifted scientist and inventor who discovered the principles of direct electrical current. This man took his place in the halls of science alongside Thomas Edison, who invented the incandescent globe, Alexander Bell, who invented the telephone, and Enrico Fermi, who split the atom. He was slight of stature and as the result of a spinal injury stood slightly stooped forward. Towards the end of his life, he was asked what field of scientific research offered the greatest promise in the future. His answer surprised some as he said, “Prayer. Find out about prayer!”

The man who discovered direct electrical current, also was interested in spiritual current. “Find out about prayer,” he said. When I accidentally touch a live wire, I know it. There is no questioning the fact that I discovered the current. My hair stands on end and I quickly jump.

Does prayer work the same way? When Jesus prayed, the request and the answer seemed to flow along the same lines, the same current. It was not a leave-your-request-at-the-door, and I'll-get-back-to-it-as-soon-as-possible sort of relationship. When Jesus prayed, things happened. That was why the disciples came to Jesus with the request, “Lord, teach us to pray!”

In time, the disciples found out about prayer. They prayed in all kinds of circumstances: in homes where they met for fellowship; in the temple; in prison, where they had been thrown for preaching the Gospel; in confronting disease and illness. They prayed in almost every conceivable situation, giving us a pattern to follow.

“Find out about prayer,” urged Charles Steinmetz.

One way you can find out about prayer is simply to pray!

There are no great volumes of theology you must master before you can pray, no flowery language which you must use, nothing which you must do as a prelude. Prayer is talking with your heavenly Father, and the conversation should just flow out of your heart.

To learn about prayer, as Steinmetz suggested, I would encourage you to get a notebook and divide it into two sections. In the first section, I would make at least three columns: one for dates, another for what you are praying about, and the third, leave blank, where you can record the way in which God answered your prayer. This, of course, is an encouragement to pray about specific things or situations. Putting the dates down is like driving a stake in the ground so you can measure the distance between the request and the answer, and the way in which God answers.

Now, what about the second section of your notebook? Start reading your New Testament and notice the remarkable promises which God has made, promises which tell you that He is a God who hears and answers prayer. When you discover one of these remarkable promises, copy it into your notebook. As you pray, remind God of what He has promised and ask Him to honor His Word.

God is a gentleman who honors His Word, and though some promises are made specifically to certain individuals or groups, most of the promises regarding answered prayer are simply made to God's children. And being His child is the only requirement.

An electrical genius believed that prayer offered the greatest promise of reward when it came to scientific research. Would you agree? Or in your personal life is that discovery yet to be made?

Don't wait until disaster or difficulty drives you to your knees in desperation. Learn about prayer by praying. Whether it is a nation, a church, a family or an individual, when someone prays, God's hand reaches out and touches lives. And when He answers, your life will be blessed. It's a truth you can discover for yourself.

Resource reading : John 17