Powerful Prayer | Daily Devotion
Revelation 8:1-5 NLT
In heaven, John sees Jesus break the seventh seal. There is complete silence for a half an hour as the reality of the horror to come sinks in. The seven angels who stand before God receive the seven trumpets. They wait for the right time to blow them; for each trumpet is a specific judgment.
Yes, judgment is coming to the nonbeliever. Christian, do you care?
John then sees another angel with a gold incense burner come to the altar. The angel mixes the quantity of incense with the prayers of God’s people and the smoke ascends to God.
God hears prayer. Truly, all who call on the name of the Lord are saved – Romans 10:13.
There is a reason why we are exhorted in Scripture to pray without ceasing – 1 Thessalonians 5:17. God wants to talk to us. He loves dialogue. When we talk to God, we grow in our knowledge of Him and become one with Him in prayer and His will is done on earth.
See, God remains the same – Malachi 3:6, and thus even through the Tribulation He searches the whole earth in order to strengthen those whose hearts are loyal to Him – 2 Chronicles 16:9. And here we see God’s agape love.
God’s agape love is illustrated in John 3:16 as it says, “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son that whoever believes in Him will not perish but have everlasting life."
His agape love is an unconditional love witnessed in His provision – and we see this during the Tribulation, as He hears the prayers of the people and rescues anyone who turns from their sin toward Him.
His agape love is the purest of all loves. Mankind fell short of His standard, and so He met His standard with His one and only Son, Jesus Christ. This Man, Jesus Christ, born of a virgin, walked this earth perfect, died on the cross for our sins, rose again on the third day - all to provide us, sinners, with the hope of heaven. This hope - this confident assurance - of eternal life in heaven with Him is ours when we repent of our sins and receive Jesus Christ into our hearts as our Lord and Savior; for His agape love is a covenantal love. A pure love. God bound Himself with an oath, so that all who receive Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior can be sure of His promise of heaven, for God cannot change His mind or lie - Hebrews 6:17.
His agape love is filled with commitment, patience, promise, kindness, purity, and truth. We all fall short of the glory of God - Romans 3:23, and the wages of sin is death - Romans 6:23, but the free gift of God is eternal life and it is found in His agape love. A love meeting every individual walking this earth with an invitation - an invitation for relationship with Himself through His Son, Jesus Christ - John 14:6. An invitation that welcomes constant prayer – constant communication. An invitation that makes prayer powerful.
John then sees the angel take the incense burner and throw it down to earth. With thunder crashing and lightening flashing, it’s almost as if the Lord is saying, “And let the games begin. If you do not repent of your evil ways, you will experience My wrath!”
What every Christian needs to realize is God is patiently waiting for people to turn from their sins, however there is a day when His patient waiting game ends. God will not wait forever, people have to make a tangible decision to turn from their sins and accept Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior.
What we are facing today is a spiritual problem and the only way to solve it is through prayer and obedience to God’s voice in His word. Christian, God hears your prayers! Relentlessly pray for God’s will to be done and believe He will fulfill His promises. God’s will in heaven becomes a reality on earth, due to the prayers of God’s people. Your prayers make a difference! Prayer is getting your heart aligned with God’s heart in a perfect position to battle for lost souls and fellow Christians. And when that happens things begin to move.
It has been said that Satan trembles when he sees the weakest saint upon its knees.
So, will you get on your knees so to speak, persevering in prayer? Crying out to the Lord for a revival amongst your family, your church, your friends, your community, and your nation? People need Jesus. When one person accepts Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior, many are actually saved – they are saved from the narcissistic abuse of that individual, from physical abuse, psychological abuse, and emotional abuse – their well-being increases simply because that individually accepted Jesus Christ and now they experience the love of Christ through this individual.
Today, many need to get back to church or to find a church where they fit and can use their gifts for God’s glory, experiencing satisfaction in their relationship with Jesus Christ. And the church needs to wake up and rise up for Jesus Christ because our salvation is nearer now than when we first believed—Romans 13:11. Jesus Christ is returning. Judgment is coming for the nonbeliever. Now is the time for a revival of hearts—2 Peter 3:9!
Prayer: Abba, thank You for listening to our prayers. Please soften the hearts of non-believers to be receptive to the gospel message and comfort, strengthen and encourage the hurting, and open the needed doors for Christians to use their gifts for Your glory, in Jesus’ name, Amen.
