What's not to love about spending some time with You and then being quickened or refreshed on multi-levels!? Sure need that.
"So will not we go back from thee: quicken us, and we will call upon thy name." Psalm 80:18
Psalm 25:11 reads, "Quicken me, O LORD, for thy name's sake". In the niv, the verse reads, "For your name's sake, LORD, preserve my life".
That Q word means “to revive or to enliven.” To preserve.
People are spiritually quickened by God at the moment of their salvation when they repent, choose to believe and simply cry out to Jesus: “And you hath he quickened, who were dead in trespasses and sins” (Ephesians 2:1, KJV).
And believers look forward to being physically quickened after physical death at the resurrection if the rapture doesn't happen first. The Bible says: “If the Spirit of him that raised up Jesus from the dead dwell in you, he that raised up Christ from the dead shall also quicken your mortal bodies by his Spirit that dwelleth in you” (Romans 8:11, KJV).
“Quicken me, O LORD, for thy name’s sake.” In the New International Version, the verse reads this way: “For your name’s sake, LORD, preserve my life.” In the New American Standard Bible, the same verse says, “For the sake of Your name, O LORD, revive me.” Contextually, "quickening" involves revival and a preservation of life following crying out the God. And who gets the glory for it? The Lord does.
Now people talk about the power of prayer or crying out to Him.
Sup with that? Well, quite simply, "the power of a God who hears and answers prayer" is what that's about. He is the most powerful. No fallen or other angel comes even close. That's where that all comes from -- the power is his. It's not from us or how we confess or voice things.
A. - The Lord God Almighty can do all things; there is nothing impossible for Him (Luke 1:37).
B. - The Lord God Almighty invites His people to pray to Him. Prayer to God should be made persistently (Luke 18:1), with thanksgiving (Philippians 4:6), in faith (James 1:5), within the will of God (Matthew 6:10), for the glory of God (John 14:13-14), and from a heart right with God (James 5:16).
C. - The Lord God Almighty hears the prayers of His children. He commands us to pray, and He promises to listen when we do. "In my distress I called to the LORD; I cried to my God for help. From his temple he heard my voice; my cry came before him, into his ears" (Psalm 18:6).
D. - The Lord God Almighty answers prayer. "I call on you, O God, for you will answer me" (Psalm 17:6).
E. - "The righteous cry out, and the LORD hears them; he delivers them from all their troubles" (Psalm 34:17).
Remember when believers were praying for Peter to be freed from behind those bars.. and then he shows up right there knocking on their door? It wasn't their faith level that made him show up. They didn't even expect their prayers to be answered but some TV preachers say you control things by the level of your faith confession.
It ain't about special words or how you enunciate them, or "blab it grab it (by a level of faith)." The terms that we say or the special way we say them (..many hearers get so tired of the showy religious back breath pronunciations with jerking around) or even how often we say them. Contrary to popular belief, the power of prayer is not based on a certain direction we face or a certain position of our bodies. That's all religious additives as well. He can hear you in any position or as you walk to work.
In Ephesians 6:18 Paul says, "Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, being watchful to this end with all perseverance and supplication for all the saints".
In that one verse, Paul says GOBS about prayer. First of all he mentions all prayer. We use the word prayer a lot. There are a lot of ways to pray. You can pray publicly. You can pray privately. You can pray verbally. You can pray silently. You can pray kneeling, standing, sitting, or lying down. You can even pray driving. Just keep your eyes open. Speaking of that you can pray with your eyes closed and with your eyes open. Sometimes we think we always have to close our eyes in prayer. Not necessarily. We have instances in Scripture even of Jesus lifting up his eyes to heaven and praying a prayer.
The power of prayer does not come from the use of artifacts or old icons with fading paint on them, or paying some change to light candles, or to work some beads. The power of prayer comes from the omnipotent One alone (God) who hears our humble straightforward candid prayers and answers them. It's because he loves us.
Prayer still places us individuals in contact with Almighty God, and we should expect almighty results. True, whether or not He chooses to grant our petitions or deny our requests. Whatever the answer to our prayers, (Yes no or wait) the God to whom we pray is the source of the power of prayer, and He can and will answer us, according to His perfect will and timing. Father knows Best. He knows what you need most at least and when you need it.
1. We should pray because Jesus told us to. He told us in Luke 18:1, "Men ought always to pray and not to give up". Honestly you don't need any more reasons on.. "Why should I pray"? Yesh, Jesus told us to pray.
2. We should pray humbly because prayer is God's appointed way for the Christian to obtain the right things.. all the things they individually need to go do God's will. Yes, in His will. But that is not the only reason we pray.. to obtain things. It is one of the reasons. There is nothing wrong with daily bringing your needs and requests before God. Here is something to think about. There may be things in your life that you don't have because you have simply not asked your Father. You have not because your ass not. Can a son be too proud to ask his father for something when he's not able to provide it for himself.. even though he knows his father wants him to go get something done? Do we care enough to pause and pray for our friends in need?
3. Prayer is the way by which we believers overcome our anxiety, trials and worry.
Life is full of troubles isn't it? Believers have trials that work for them as we look to Lord to help us through them. Unbelievers have troubles that work against them.. until they put their faith in the one that can conquer what they alone can't conquer. Sometimes God allows us enter a real crisis where we're going to need him, and hopefully call out to him. Knowing that in the long run, it's going to be a very beneficial time... because we did call out to him and saw him respond.
Our country is facing a lot of trouble, division and chaos right now like with this skyrocketing inflation caused by some. This war on terrorism is far from over. Here, it never was over long. The craziness seems to abound.. oh yeah, it's an election year!
4. Prayer is one of the ways we can cooperate in seeing ourselves become ready for the return of Christ. Look around you, it'll be soon. Luke 21:34 Jesus says, "Take heed to yourselves, lest your hearts be weighed down with carousing, drunkenness, and the cares of this life, and that day comes upon you unexpectedly. Watch therefore and pray always". We need to be in prayer. Speaking of his imminent coming Jesus said in Mark 13, "Of that day and hour no one knows, not even the Angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father." None should be foolish to set a date and time as so many have done, but we can notice the seasons right.
Sometimes God says no. Sometimes God says slow. Sometimes God says grow. Sometimes God says go. If the timing is right and the request is right and you are right, God will say to you go. When he says no, it is for your own good.
The word NO is a good answer sometimes. Do you think you heard a NO from God when perhaps he said wait.. cuz the timing just isn't right. Looking back, I am so glad for the times that God said NO. Did I audibly hear him say: No son... Nope, I didn't.. but what I asked for didn't happen.. at least in the way that I ask for it to. Have there been times when I instructed God on the way to do what I wanted him to do. Sadly yes, when he really doesn't need any of our instructing evvvver. : )
- “Call unto me, and I will answer thee, and show thee great and mighty things, which thou knowest not” (Jeremiah 33:3).
- "Call to Me and I will answer you, and tell you and even show you great and mighty things, things which have been confined and hidden, which you do not know and understand and cannot distinguish." Jer. 33.3
- “Call upon me in the day of trouble: I will deliver thee, and thou shalt glorify me” (Psalm 50:15, emphasis added).
- “The righteous cry, and the LORD heareth, and delivereth them out of all their troubles” (Psalm 34:17).
- “When I cry unto thee, then shall mine enemies turn back: this I know; for God is for me” (Psalm 56:9). Need more for a clear picture of this?
- Father God, thanks for Jesus and this new day. Help us finish well. Some days I don't understand your plan. Give understanding. Wanna enjoy the journey with your Holy Spirit leading -- there is no better life! What are the specifics of what you want me to do today, where to go, what to say and do -- yeah, what are my marching orders so to speak? Please give me wisdom, insight and boldness.. the right words with the right tone at the right time. Sometimes I run out of love. There are so many people in need, it can be overwhelming. Got a big test coming up too -- need more grace. Father, please use me to plant seeds and win people to faith in Jesus. Who doesn't need this first-love relationship really? All do.
- A cry of deep distress: zaaq (Hebrew)
- God “didst see the affliction of our fathers in Egypt, and heardest their cry [zaaq] by the Red sea; And thou didst divide the sea before them, so that they went through the midst of the sea on the dry land” (Nehemiah 9:9, 11).
- To cry out for help: tsaaq (Hebrew)
- When the Israelites could not find fresh water in the wilderness, Moses “cried [tsaaq] unto the LORD; and the LORD shewed him a tree, which when he had cast into the waters, the waters were made sweet” (Exodus 15:25).
- To call with a loud sound: qara (Hebrew)
- “Jabez called [qara] on the God of Israel, saying, Oh that thou wouldest bless me indeed..And God granted him that which he requested” (I Chronicles 4:10).
- To shout a war cry: ruwa (Hebrew)
- “Then the men of Judah gave a shout [ruwa]: and as the men of Judah shouted, it came to pass, that God smote Jeroboam and all Israel” (II Chronicles 13:15).
- A cry for help: shavah (Hebrew)
- “He will fulfill the desire of them that fear him: he also will hear their cry [shavah], and will save them” (Psalm 145:19).
- A cry of deep distress: tsaaqah (Hebrew)
- “..He forgetteth not the cry [tsaaqah] of the humble” (Psalm 9:12).
- To cry out: krazo (Greek)
- When the Apostle Peter walked out on the water at the invitation of Jesus, Peter “was afraid; and beginning to sink, he cried [krazo], saying, Lord, save me. And immediately Jesus stretched forth his hand, and caught him” (Matthew 14:30–31).
- To implore with strong voice: boao (Greek)
- A blind man in Jericho heard that Jesus was passing near him. “And he cried [boao], saying, Jesus, thou son of David, have mercy on me.. And Jesus said unto him, Receive thy sight: thy faith hath saved thee” (Luke 18:38, 42).
Jesus died for you and me in public -- it was a substitutionary thang. He prayed in private and then went public all the way to Calvasry. It was because of his great love for people. Why should you and I only live for Him and his gospel in private?
..like some secret agent man? Sometimes it seems much easier to act like a secret agent huh.
God, pour your fresh grace, agape love and yoke-breaking anointing even.. right into us. Send revival and awakening here (a 5th great awakening). Yes, get it to us and through us cuz people need Jesus. Father, need some physical energy here. Please quicken our thoughts and the zealous (on-fire) ardent fervor that once burned so bright for Jesus our first-love (Psalm 42:11). We cry out to You to quicken us. Let, none of us stay tired or depressed (Psalm 119:25). We want to see you move, to see results. We ask that You quicken our hearts. All of us, especially when we are pulled by the enticements of this world, so that we will remain faithful to His Word (Psalm 80:18).
Q: Can you and your friends do that livin' wisely even though some so called believers at times do this foolishly? Sure. Pray and trust all God's promises and word.
"For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek." Romans 1:16
Factoid: Everyone who Jesus called, he called openly and publicly.
I know the harvest is your thing, that you are sovereign and all. Lord, today seems like a really great day for the rapture to happen. Willing to be apart. Please help me today. I pray I can wisely go public with JOY, spreading your Good News and that my dear friends will be emboldened as well.
"Everyone who acknowledges me publicly here on earth, I will also acknowledge before my Father in heaven." Jesus, Matthew 10:32"The gospel is a very bold gospel, it fearlessly proclaims the truth, whether men like it or not. We must be equally faithful and unflinching." ~ Charles Spurgeon"..we have been approved by God to be entrusted with the gospel, so we speak, not as pleasing men, but God who examines our hearts." 1 Thessalonians 2:4
