Release The Resources Of Heaven Through Prayer
Many years ago we had a regular prayer meeting in our home. One time, we were praying for my husband Malcolm’s grandfather, who was lying seriously ill in his home in the South Island of New Zealand. Uncertain as to where Grandad stood in his relationship with God, we prayed for both his healing and his salvation.
As we prayed, my sister-in-law said she had a picture of angels ‘outside his bedroom window.’
Soon afterwards, we heard that Grandad was miraculously well again. He later shared with us that he had a vision of angels that came into his bedroom and surrounded his bed. Strength flowed back into his body.
After this experience, Grandad’s faith in Jesus became vibrant and unshakeable. He could not be dissuaded from the reality of his angelic encounter.
When we pieced the story together, we realised that the heavenly visitation had taken place at the time we had prayed.
The Power of Prayer for Loved Ones who Don’t Know Jesus
As Christian believers, we have the privilege of taking the names of those we care about before the very throne of God, the highest authority in heaven and earth. There, we can petition our Father to release heavenly resources on behalf of those we love.
Like presenting a cheque to our bank that has been made out to us, prayer draws on the resources that are available to you and me through the bank of heaven.
We have access to all that has been purchased by Jesus’ shed blood on our behalf, in Jesus’ Name.
God wants to draw people to Himself. He desires to release heavenly resources to do so. He wants to convict people by his Spirit. He is waiting for us to pray. He is waiting for us to simply ask, in Jesus’ Name.
What are some of these heavenly resources that are ours for the asking?
1. Prayer Releases the Spirit of God
In the book of Acts, the church was in prayer, and in response to that prayer there was an outpouring of the Holy Spirit. And in response to the outpouring of the Spirit, thousands of people came to know Jesus and were born again.
There are things that only the Spirit can do. Jesus said in John 16:8 that it is the Spirit of God who brings conviction to people, who reveals the truth. We can have all the right words, we have truth on our side, we can talk to people until we are blue in the face, but only the Holy Spirit can show them truth and cut through their consciences.
The great evangelist Billy Graham understood this principle. He writes,
‘I am always deeply conscious that I am absolutely helpless and that only the Holy Spirit can penetrate the minds and hearts of those that are without Christ. All I am doing is sowing seed. It is God—and only God—who can make the seed bear fruit… We stress that prayer is an indispensable element in preparation for a crusade, and we seek to organise in advance as many prayer meetings as possible. It is the mightiest force in the world.’[1]
2. Prayer Releases God’s Miraculous Power
In Acts 4:30 the church asked in prayer, ‘Stretch out your hand to heal and perform miraculous signs and wonders through the name of your holy servant Jesus.’
God responded to their prayer and in the following chapter we read, ‘The apostles performed many miraculous signs and wonders among the people’ (Acts 5:12).
The Hunk and I see God do miraculous things in the lives of unbelievers that we have been praying for. The power of God is available to us through prayer. This was a prayer that the early Church prayed, and so can we.
3. Prayer Releases People into Ministry
In Luke 10:2 Jesus said to His disciples:
‘The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few. Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field.’
Through prayer, God will position people around your loved one at significant times who will be witnesses of Jesus to him or her. But know that the very act of asking is also enlisting, for in the next breath He said, “Go! I am sending you.” If we are praying, we must also be prepared to speak when the opportunity arises.
4. Prayer Prepares the Environment for the Sharing of the Gospel
Through prayer, God moves in our political, cultural and spiritual environment, preparing the way for the spread of the Gospel. [2] Through prayer, the Lord sets up circumstances in the lives of those we care about that will confront them with the truth of the Gospel. He can turn even difficult circumstances into opportunities for His grace.
We can participate with the Holy Spirit in prayer to set up Divine appointments. Like dominoes, people and circumstances move into place that will lead our loved ones closer towards a decision for Christ. I call these ‘God-incidences,’ although at the time they may seem like coincidences.
5. Prayer Releases Angelic help
‘Are not all angels ministering spirits sent to serve those who will inherit salvation?’ (Heb 1:14)
In Matt 26:53-54, Jesus said, ‘Do you think I cannot call on my Father, and he will at once put at my disposal more than twelve legions of angels?’ In Acts 12, an angel broke Peter out of jail as the church was praying and asking God for his release. [3]
We have learned that God calls us to partner with Him through praying for His will to be accomplished ‘on earth as it is in heaven.’ The Psalmist reminds us that angels are the means that God uses to fulfil His plans. [4] When we pray, angels are activated into bringing about God’s purposes.
‘Praise the LORD, you his angels, you mighty ones who do his bidding, who obey his word. Praise the LORD, all his heavenly hosts, you his servants who do his will.’ (Ps 103:20-21)
Notes:
The above article is excerpted from my e-book: Pray for the Lost: Impact the Eternal Destiny of Your Loved Ones Through Prayer, which is available from our eStore here
[1] Billy Graham, Just As I Am, San Francisco : HarperCollins 1999
[2] 1 Tim 2:1-5
[3] Acts 12:6-13
[4] Psalm 103:20-21
