THE Genesis OF A TRUE PRAYER LIFE

This book is about the odyssey of my prayer life for over thirty years of an effective ministry. I always tell people that if I never preach again I will never stop praying because preaching ministry does not necessarily need others to be fulfilled While it is very important to pray with others, however, just a man or a woman’s who prays fervently can make a difference. When talking about prayer conquest the bible often used individual tenacity in prayers as an example. Elijah and Hannah are classic examples of individual who prayed until something good happened. In the letter of James he notes: “Elijah was just like us. He prayed earnestly that it should not rain, and it did not rain on the land for three and half years. Again he prayed, and the heaven gave rain, and the earth produced crops.” [James 5:17-18 NIV]. The narratives of the miraculous and supernatural things that happened because of the prayers of Elijah the prophet is prevalent in biblical account of his ministry. According to the account from tradition James who was the half natural brother of Jesus Christ from the same mother was one of the most praying men; he was also the pastor of the first Church in Jerusalem. It is my opinion that James must have derived his inspiration from Elijah; he seems to have great insight about the impact of Elijah’s prayer life in Israel. It appears that James was encouraging individuals to become committed to prayer like Elijah because just one person serious with God in obedience to prayers can make a tremendous impact in the world. In other words, God does not require multitudes to carry ion his plans on earth. In order to show that God also uses women as men as far as prayer is concern we have many examples of women of prayers; Hannah being one of them. She prayed earnestly because she wants a child; she needed miracles [1 Sam.1:1-17]. Most bible schools, seminaries and divinity schools often do not offer a course in prayers; could that be the reason why the churches are becoming powerless to deal with the challenges of our society? If pastors and preachers from these institutions can’t pray then their churches will never accomplish the mandates of Christ which is setting the captives free. May God give you the insights to prayers from this day in Jesus name.