Power in Prayer: Listen Closely

by Marilynn Chadwick

Thomas Edison tried unsuccessfully over ten thousand times before his final breakthrough invention of the electric light bulb. The Wright brothers experienced hundreds of crashes before their breakthrough in flight. And countless scientists performed endless experiments before breakthroughs in DNA research.

Breakthroughs in any endeavor require perseverance. Especially in the spiritual realm, when we seem to crash headlong into a formidable yet unseen enemy again and again.

If we want to experience power in our prayers, we can learn a lesson from the Psalmist and warrior-king David. Years earlier, he had conquered the Philistine giant Goliath. But here he is again, facing the Philistine army not far from the very site of his famous face-to-face encounter with the giant.

This time, the Philistines waged their attack in the Valley of Rephaim, which means "the valley of giants" or "the valley of trouble." Though a seasoned warrior, David pauses to pray, asking God for his marching orders.

So, David asked God, “Should I go out to fight the Philistines? Will you hand them over to me?” The Lord replied, “Yes, go ahead. I will hand them over to you.” So David and his troops went up to Baal-perazim and defeated the Philistines there. “God did it!” David exclaimed. “He used me to burst through my enemies like a raging flood!” So they named that place Baal-perazim, which means “the Lord who bursts through” (1 Chronicles 14:10, 11 NLT). The Philistines abandoned their gods and fled.

However, they soon returned to raid the valley one more time. Even with the memory of the first victory still fresh in his mind, David prays to the Lord and listens for his strategy: Once again David asked God what to do. “Do not attack them straight on,” God replied. “Instead, circle around behind and attack them near the poplar trees. When you hear a sound like marching feet in the tops of the poplar trees, go out and attack! That will be the signal that God is moving ahead of you to strike down the Philistine army.” So David did what God commanded, and they struck down the Philistine army all the way from Gibeon to Gezer. David’s fame spread everywhere, and the Lord caused all the nations to fear David (1 Chronicles 14:14-17).

Good thing David was listening carefully, for God's strategy this time required a very different response. I'm reminded of the Lion Aslan's comment to Lucy in C.S. Lewis’s The Chronicles of Narnia series: "Things never happen the same way twice." God may act very differently than we experienced in our last challenge.

Persevere in your battle, my friend. Pray to God for guidance. Then, listen carefully for his instructions. Pause and really listen. You might be surprised at his answer. Then obey immediately. Seek God every time, before every battle. Approach him for wisdom daily. Humility is the mark of a good soldier. And remember, he rarely does things the same way twice.

I pray that your "Valley of Trouble" becomes the very place where you encounter Jesus, your "Lord of the Breakthrough."

Power in Prayer: Train Daily

by Marilynn Chadwick

I’ve always loved sports—so it naturally follows that I love athletes. I am married to a former basketball player and mother to a volleyball player, a basketball player, and a swimmer. There is much to be learned about our spiritual life from observing the personal discipline of athletes.

The Apostle Paul must have loved sports, too. He likens the hard work of training for a sport to his own life of faith. “I run straight to the goal with purpose in every step,” he writes. “I discipline my body like an athlete, training it to do what it should so that after preaching to others, I will not be disqualified for the prize” (1 Corinthians 9:26 NLT).

Instead of “discipline,” some translations use the word “buffet,” a word which means “to treat roughly.” The word buffet came even more alive for me one summer when I watched our youngest son along with hundreds of highly ranked swimmers compete in their national championship meet. After the grueling hours of practice, these athletes were “buff” in every way.

Finely chiseled muscles bore witness to hours in the pool, hours with weights, hours of running, all for the love of the sport. With a body builder, the goal is a muscular body. But for a swimmer, the body is simply a tool to use for the sport. Their sculpted physique is not for show—rather it enables these athletes to swim incredibly fast.

Sports provide a great metaphor for the training necessary to develop the habit of continual and effectual prayer. It’s not that prayer itself is always hard. Often, it’s like breathing. But to stay alert, mindful, available to listen—this kind of prayer can be hard in our fast-paced world. And getting up early to carve out time to read God’s Word and pray takes discipline and commitment.

Persistence in prayer when we are in pain, when all we can see with our “natural” eyes looks hopeless, and when answers are slow in coming can be grinding. No wonder Paul tells the church in Colossae about his friend, Epaphras. Paul told them that behind the scenes, this guy was continually “laboring” in prayer for them (Colossians 4:12,13). The Greek word for “labor” is agonizomai, from which we get “agony.”

For a swimmer, practice can be repetitious, exhausting, even agonizing. There are competitions when athletes feel stuck. There seems to be no progress—personal times don’t budge. But then there are breakthrough races when times are shattered, records broken. These are the rewards for all the work and daily practices. Why do swimmers train, and train, and train some more? Simply for the love of the race.

I hope you will develop such a love for God’s Word and an expectancy of answered prayer that it’s worth it to train day after day. You may not see immediate answers, but God has promised to reward your faithfulness.

Remember—God is “a rewarder of those who earnestly seek him” (Hebrews 11:6). I truly believe there are mountain-moving answers and breakthrough races of faith in store if you put your whole heart into prayer.

Power in Prayer: Be Wholehearted

by Marilynn Chadwick

How often do you take time to really listen to God? Many of us blow through our days without thinking about God. Even our alone times are filled with so much noise that it can be hard to hear his voice above the fray.

It was the seventeenth century theologian Francois Fenelon who said, “How rare it is to find a soul still enough to hear God speak.” I believe that training my heart to hear (and obey) God’s voice is my most important task on earth. No doubt it has the most eternal impact.

Maybe you've discovered that listening for God's voice is not always easy. Every voice you hear in your head is not from God. We pick up signals from the world, our flesh, and even our enemy, the devil. The Bible tells us he can disguise himself as “an angel of light.” Personally, I find the devil sometimes speaks with a Southern accent sounding remarkably like me!

Because we live in such a busy, noisy world, we must be determined to get quiet long enough to hear God’s voice—especially his whispers. That's why I periodically need to refresh my “spiritual listening skills.”

I’ll share a few practical tips I’ve discovered along the way. Start with Scripture. God’s Word is filled with ways to strengthen your power in prayer. Over the years, I have seen amazing answers to prayer. I’ve learned from experience that God can be trusted to speak to me through the pages of Scripture. It’s no wonder God’s Word is called the “sword of the spirit.” It is also referred to as being “living and active” (Ephesians 6:17; Hebrews 4:12).

I find it helps to have teammates, fellow seekers to provide encouragement and accountability. This helps me stay on task and remain wholehearted in my call to pray.

It helps to add a bit of structure to my commitment to seek God. Getting started can be simple:

1. Pick out a special place for prayer. A favorite chair, a corner of your study, your back porch. Wherever you feel close to God. This is your spot.

2. Carve out early time for prayer. My time alone with God is my first hour and sets the tone for the rest of my day. I like to call this my “power hour.”

3. Gather your tools: A Bible, a notebook or journal, maybe a favorite devotional.

4. Begin now to talk to God and tell him that you want to learn to hear his voice more clearly. You might not notice much at first, but I can assure you. If you are serious about seeking God wholeheartedly, the rewards will come.

5. Ask God who is on his heart—pray he will prompt you to pray for people, places, and situations you may not have considered. Expect to be surprised at the doors he opens.

Above all, be intentional. Make prayer your top priority. Make it your goal to pray throughout the day—keep a running conversation with your heavenly Father. The Lord gives us a promise: "You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart" (Jeremiah 29:13).