Prayer

After I was first filled with the Holy Ghost at a camp meeting in McCall, Idaho, at age 16, one of the first elements of this experience, if that is a correct way to put it, was the desire to pray with more feeling and understanding than I had ever felt before. I had “said prayers” most of my growing up life influenced by godly parents, but I don’t ever remember really “praying because I loved and felt so close to God”.  “Now I lay me down to sleep, I pray the Lord my soul to keep. If I should die before I wake, I pray the Lord my soul to take.”  This was an every night prayer taught to me by my mom as a child.  I would then say things like, “ forgive me of all the bad things I’ve done today, bless mom and dad, and my brothers and sisters, cousins, aunts and uncles etc.", and then drift off to sleep, unless I had been exceptionally bad and then I eventually scared myself off to sleep. But there was something very special and different after praying through to the baptism of the Holy Ghost that drew me so much closer in relationship to Jesus. It’s like I was personally drawn to Him.  I even began to picture Him in my mind when I prayed and talked to Him like I would a close friend.  I looked forward to entering into that Spirit filled realm again and again, almost always eventually beginning to speak with an unknown tongue and not wanting to quit.  It was in these times that I noticed that my prayers began to be answered.  In these times it was like the cares of this life faded away and I entered into a heavenly realm that I don’t know how to explain unless it’s like when Mary and I were dating and we would get alone, there was nothing else at that time that really seemed to matter. You know what I mean, like you know, we held hands and stuff.

Well, I guess the subject of prayer was on my mind.  Jesus has never moved over.  He is still there to be that close friend that knows me and understands the things I share with Him, even before I share it.  He is still unchangeable in that my requests get answered and I can still enter in that spirit filled realm like being caught up into a level of heaven.  I’m sure that is why it’s call “heavenly places”, and I still love to dwell there in that presence. It must have really been a shock to leave that heavenly place and come to an earth with the presence of evil all around. I even wonder what angels feel when they are sent to us.

I conclude with this.  Without the force of prayer where we can pour out our vehement desires to God, I don’t see how we can have a move of God in our personal life nor in our church’s. I believe that it’s the mighty cry of many burning hearts knocking at the gate of mercy that gets heaven’s attention and will bring revival to us and our people. I personally feel a need to throw my heart into prayer and focus on the all powerful God, letting my request be known to Him and my praise. I believe that real praying is more powerful than any sermon I could preach. My soul is reaching out to you Jesus, in this very desperate hour we live in. You are still the answer!!