Lifewords Prayer Series 7 of 30, God's Word and Prayer

Lifewords  Prayer Series 7 of 30 Concerning our daily, secret time of prayer with the Lord, we come with thanksgiving and praise, we repent of sin and receive forgiveness by appropriating the blood of Jesus,  and we ask the Holy Spirit to fill us and direct our praying. Another vital aspect of our prayer time and the secret to receiving answers to prayer lies in how we apply God's Word during prayer. Be sure to have your Bible open, your pen and your journal during your prayer time because your study and meditation on God's Word is key.      Remember, our time with the Lord is an exchange. It is not us just coming with all of our petitions! Time in God's Word and prayer go hand in hand. I love reading about George Mueller, a man who received answers to his prayers daily and saw impossible things happen in the lives of the orphans he cared for in his orphanages in Bristol, England. He always prayed with and open Bible. He constantly filled his petitions with God's Word.  God's Word fueled His faith for miracles. Describing his devotion time George Mueller wrote this;    "The first thing I did, after having asked in a few words the Lord's blessing upon His precious Word, was to begin to meditate on the Word of God, searching into every verse to get a blessing out of it; not for the sake of the public ministry of the Word nor for the sake of preaching on what I meditated upon, but for the sake of obtaining food for my own soul.  The result is that after a few minutes my soul has been led to confession, or to thanksgiving, or to intercession, or to supplication; so that, though I did not, first give myself to prayer but to meditation, yet it turned into prayer."   He continually testified to the power of God's Word and prayer, mixed with faith, as surety for answered prayer.     Oh Lord, thank you for your Living Word!  If we are to be a people of effective, faith filled prayer, we must be people who delight in daily reading, thoughtful meditation,  diligent study, and obedient application of God's Word. Meditate in Psalm 119 this week! And always, always, have your Bible open in your prayer time.