Eve of Fasting: Praying Unto God

As we approach our united day of prayer and fasting, tomorrow, we should be preparing to meet God face-to-face.

"If, then, we would pray aright, the first thing that we should do is to see to it that we really get an audience with God, that we really get into His very presence. Before a word of petition is offered, we should have the definite and vivid consciousness that we are talking to God, and should believe that He is listening to our petition and is going to grant the thing that we ask of Him. This is only possible by the Holy Spirit's power, so we should look to the Holy Spirit to really lead us into the presence of God, and should not be hasty in words until He has actually brought us there."

R. A. Torrey

Pray Earnestly

Not only should we be prepared for a personal meeting with God, we should be prepared to pray earnestly. According to Torrey, in the Revised Version, "without ceasing" is rendered "earnestly." We need to look no further than Jesus to learn about earnest prayer.

Luke 22:44

And being in anguish, he prayed more earnestly, and his sweat was like drops of blood falling to the ground.

Hebrews 5:7

During the days of Jesus' life on earth, he offered up prayers and petitions with loud cries and tears to the one who could save him from death, and he was heard because of his reverent submission.

Sweat like drops of blood. Loud cries and tears. I fall short of Jesus' earnestness.

United Prayer

Torrey also provides us with this insight:

"There is power in UNITED PRAYER. Of course there is power in the prayer of an individual, but there is vastly increased power in united prayer. God delights in the unity of His people, and seeks to emphasize it in every way, and so He pronounces a special blessing upon united prayer.

We read in Matthew 18:19

"If two of you shall agree on earth as touching anything that they shall ask, it shall be done for them of My Father which is in heaven."

This unity, however, must be real. The passage just quoted does not say that if two shall agree in asking, but if two shall agree AS TOUCHING anything they shall ask. Two persons might agree to ask for the same thing, and yet there be no real agreement as touching the thing they asked. One might ask it because he really desired it, the other might ask it simply to please his friend. But where there is real agreement, where the Spirit of God brings two believers into perfect harmony as concerning that which they may ask of God, where the Spirit lays the same burden on two hearts; in all such prayer there is absolutely irresistible power."

Friends, this is the main reason why we unite each week in fasting and prayer. This evening, I will pray that we will be in perfect harmony with regard to what we ask of God. I am confident that we all want our prayers to contain irresistible power!

To be in harmony, we should all be praying for Adam's healing — a complete recovery. For those new to our united day of prayer and fasting, we want to pray with the faith of the centurion.

I invite you to re-read this post in the morning, prior to reading the "breakfast" devotional. I will. It is my prayer that we all have a "close encounter" with God, tomorrow.

Lord,
You're all I want.
You're all I've ever needed.
You're all I want.
Help me know You are near.