Debtor_40 day journey_header
DAY 27: Prevail                                                                                   June 27, 2015

 
"The effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man
avails much."
 (James 5:16b, NKJV)

MORNING DEVOTION - "O God, thou art my God; early will I seek thee..." (Psalm 63:1)
 
Scripture Reading: Luke 22:39-44
  

 

When they had finished the Last Supper, Jesus led His disciples to an olive grove in the Kidron Valley, called Gethsemane, meaning "olive press."   It would be here that Jesus would offer His last prayers before surrendering fully to the will of the Father and releasing Himself into the hands of those who would torture and crucify Him.  The garden had become the battlefield; thousands of years after the enemy had dared tempt His most beloved creation away from a life of intimacy with the Father, Jesus took the stance of a warrior and bowed humbly to the work He was called to do.  That night the greatest battle was fought and won in prayer.


Jesus, overcome with anguish, was concerned for His followers, who themselves were overcome with sorrow and had succumbed to sleep.  Jesus knew what lay ahead for them; all the doubt and fear that would overwhelm their hearts and minds as He lay in the grave three days. Therefore He prayed for them; three times He prayed - earnestly, fervently, determined to cover them with His love and prepare them for the painful hours they would endure while they waited for the promise to be fulfilled.  "And being in agony, He prayed more earnestly" (v.44a).


 Jesus' final and most sacred lesson in prevailing prayer occurred in the garden.  "nevertheless not My will, but Yours, be done" (v.42b).  It was here that Jesus demonstrated how to win the battle over self-will (the will of human nature), by laying His will down in full surrender to the will of the Father. In His obedience we learn a valuable lesson to help carry us through our own trials. "Then an angel appeared to Him from heaven, strengthening Him" (v. 43). Just as the angels had been sent to minister to Jesus after He fasted and was tempted by the devil at the onset of His ministry (reference Matthew 4:11, Mark 1:13), once again an angel is sent to strengthen Jesus as His earthly ministry was coming to a close.  The Father answered Jesus' prayers, but instead of removing Him from the trial, He strengthened Him for it.


Heavenly Father, 
We praise You this morning,
that "When the earth and all its people quake,
it is [You] who hold its pillars firm" (Psalm 75:3).
You are seated on the throne as Sovereign
over the whole earth, and You have
not abandoned Your people.
How overwhelming the thought
that our 
Beloved Savior was in such anguish
and faced the hour of His greatest need alone,
while His followers slumbered and slept.
Forgive us, Lord, that in this urgent hour, when
evil seems to be triumphing, 
that Your church today
would be so overcome by sorrow that we also would
abandon You in this hour of great need. 
 Awaken our hearts to the anguish of Your heart, and
give us a willing heart to surrender to Your will.
Strengthen us for the trials ahead to pray without ceasing;
 
fervent, frequent, righteous prayers that avail much.
 In Jesus' Name. Amen. 

 

How difficult and disheartening it can be, to pray fervently and earnestly, having been taught that the prevailing plea in prayer is "whatever you ask in My name, that will I do" (John 14:13-14), and not obtain what we have asked for.  At Gethsemane, our faithful Mediator has taught us that even His own prayers for the cup to be taken from Him would not be answered, but rather in His prayerful submission to the will of the Father He would receive the strength He would need to face His trial and accomplish His mission.  May yesterday mornings disappointing announcement of the Supreme Court's decision on marriage awaken the Church to the importance of effective, fervent prayer, and may this prove to be our finest hour as we draw strength from the knowledge that, Jesus, our great Intercessor has prayed for us and is continuing to pray for us (John 17).  May we not fall asleep in this hour of great need, but join our Lord in His fervent intercession before the throne.  "But I have prayed for you...that your faith may not fail.  And when you have turned back, strengthen your brothers" (Luke 22:32).

Join us as we unite in fervent prayer on 
our knees for our nation 
this Sunday, June 28, 2015
Visit the Call2Fall website for more information
on how you and your church can participate

 

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AFTERNOON DEVOTION - "Evening, and morning, and noon, will I pray, and cry aloud: and He shall hear my voice" (Psalm 55:17, KJV).

 


Scripture Reading: Matthew 26:36-56
  
Jesus' words to His disciples cut like a knife for those of us who are His followers today.  "Could you men not keep watch with Me for one hour?" (v.40b).  He had just told them how overwhelmed with sorrow He was, "to the point of death"; He even asked them to stay up and keep watch with Him, but they were too exhausted with sorrow to stay awake (Luke 22:45b).  Sometimes we find ourselves so deeply burdened that we can't sleep, while at other times the weight is so heavy we find ourselves too weak to stay awake. 

 

In the garden of tribulation we experience an important, but painful lesson in prayer.  It is here where the battle line is drawn, and those who are true warriors in the Spirit answer their greatest call. "The Spirit is willing, but the body is weak" (Matthew 26:41).  This is where many a brave intercessor has faced tremendous pain, as they have endured endless turmoil, only to have received an answer they found difficult to accept.  Sometimes the Lord must take us to the depths of excruciating pain and sorrow so that our hearts can be broken open to experience the depths of His anguish.  It is in those dark, lonely, and devastating hours that we are brought to the place of absolute surrender; it is there that our Lord finds the tender soil He needs to plant the painful thorn that will yield a life of earnest and fervent prayer.  Until we have been there personally, that place where everything is totally out of our control, and what we want has been completely stripped from us,  that we learn what it means to truly surrender to the will of the Father. 


Pain is a strange tool that God uses to teach us how to trust and depend upon Him.  The Scripture tells us that the eyes of the Lord search throughout the earth looking for hearts that are fully committed to Him so He can strengthen them (reference 2 Chronicles 16:9).  Notice that it is the heart that is fully yielded to His will that He strengthens.  His Word promises us:  "My grace is sufficient for you, for My power is made perfect in weakness" (2 Corinthians 12:9a).  Those who will truly commit to a life of fervent, effectual prayer, who will stand guard and stay awake to labor in prayer for those who desperately need to experience the love of God, are those who have drawn close to the heart of God to gain understanding, and who have had their hearts broken by what grieves His.  "I tell you the truth, you will weep and mourn while the world rejoices.  You will grieve, but your grief will turn to joy.  A woman giving birth to a child has pain because her time has come; but when her baby is born she forgets the anguish because of her joy that a child is born into the world.  So with you:  Now is your time of grief, but I will see you again and you will rejoice, and no one will take away your joy" (John 16:20-22).

 

Heavenly Father,
"Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ,
the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort,
who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort
those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves
have received from God.  For just as the sufferings of Christ
flow into our lives, so also through Christ our comfort
overflows.  If we are distressed, it is for your comfort
and salvation.  We were under great pressure, far beyond
our ability to endure, so that we despaired even of life.
Indeed, in our hearts we felt the sentence of death.
But this happened that we might not rely on ourselves 
but on God, who raises the dead.
He has delivered us from such a deadly peril,
and He will deliver us.  On Him we have set our hope
that He will continue to deliver us, as you help us by your prayers.
Then many will give thanks on our behalf for the gracious favor
granted us in answers to the prayers of many."
(2 Corinthians 1:3-6a, 8b-11)
 In Jesus' Name. Amen.

 

The Lord has purpose for our pain.  This journey of prayer was birthed out of one of the greatest and most painful losses in my life.  How blessed we are that He uses these impossible trials to draw us to Himself with whom nothing is impossible.  Jesus could have commanded "twelve legions of angels" to come to His rescue that night in the garden, but He fully surrendered to the will of the Father and faced His hour of suffering and triumphed.  The Lord desires that, in our trials, we will surrender all our doubts, questions, fears, and concerns, and trust Him in the place of prayer and allow Him to accomplish His greater work for our good and His glory.  This afternoon, let our most fervent and frequent prayer be, "Father...not what I will but what You will"; and let us yield ourselves fully to His purposes in the earth. "Now to Him who is able to do immeasurable more than all we ask or imagine, according to His power that is at work within us, to Him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen" (Ephesians 3:20-21).


 

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EVENING MEDITATION - "...and on His law he meditates day and night" (Psalm 1:2)  


Scripture Reading: Psalm 91
 
In this familiar Psalm we find the assurance of protection and security when we abide in the presence of the Lord.  No matter what trials and circumstances we face, we can rest under the secure wings of our loving Lord, and trust that He will answer us in a way that will accomplish His greatest good for our lives and do what brings Him the utmost glory.  May we rest in confidence and peace tonight as we draw close to our Father's heart in the secret place of prayer and meditate on His wonderful Word.  Pray these powerful words of Psalm 91 over those who are on the front lines of the spiritual battlefield, that they will not grow weary or discouraged as the battle intensifies. Ask the Lord to send them the refreshment and reinforcements they need; and may we stand beside them and help bear their burdens in constant, fervent prayer. Let us pray for those who are on the battlefield in the military, the mission field, the pulpit, the halls of congress, the classroom, the courtroom, the boardroom, even the living room.  Wherever the spiritual battle may be waging our brothers and sisters need the encouragement and strength we can draw from heaven for them in prayer.  May God give them the assurance that He is watching over them and is leading them to a high and secure place, and He will fulfill His perfect plans and purposes in and through their lives.  
 
 Heavenly Father, 
Thank You for the reminder of Your
constant presence, continual prayers,
tender care for Your people.
Bless all Your dear children with Your Word 
this evening.
Thank You that You are watching over
Your Word to see that it is fulfilled.
"He who dwells in the secret place of the Most High
shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty.
I will say of the LORD, 'He is my refuge
and my fortress; my God, in Him I will trust."
"Because you have made the LORD, who is my refuge,
even the Most High, your dwelling place,
no evil shall befall you, nor shall any plague come
near your dwelling; for He shall give His angels
charge over you, to keep you in all your ways."
"Because he has set his love upon Me,
therefore I will deliver him;
I will set him on high, because he has known My name.
He shall call upon Me, and I will answer him;
I will be with him in trouble;
I will deliver him and honor him.
With long life I will satisfy him,
and show him My salvation."
In Jesus' Name. Amen.
  
 

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"There is no power like that of prevailing prayer,
 of Abraham pleading for Sodom, Jacob wrestling in the
stillness of the night, Moses standing in the breach,
Hannah intoxicated with sorrow, David heartbroken with
remorse and grief, Jesus in sweat of blood. 
Add to this list from the records of the church your
personal observation and experience, and always
there is the cost of passion unto blood.
Such prayer prevails. 
It turns ordinary mortals into men of power.
It brings power.  It brings fire.  It brings rain.  It brings life.
It brings God."
- Samuel Chadwick
 
  
Thank you for praying with us!

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DEBTOR: Labor of Love 40 Days of Prayer
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