Yielding to God In Prayer Will Change Your World
By: David McFadden
“Yes, I am the vine; you are the branches. Those who remain in Me, and I in them, will produce much fruit. For apart from Me you can do nothing. …But if you remain in Me and My words remain in you, you may ask for anything you want, and it will be granted! When you produce much fruit, you are My true disciples. This brings great glory to My Father. John 15:5,7-8
It is common knowledge that there are limitless expressions of prayer offered by way of thousands of belief systems, some even praying to carved sticks. (Romans 1:21-23) However, as sincere Christians, prayer happens as we seek God through an intimate relationship with Him. Our Vine and branch relationship is made viable by knowing Him through His Word, where we learn to come into agreement with Him—we want to pray His way. Praying His way means listening for the Holy Spirit to reveal His patterns, principles and examples found in Scripture. Prayer is finding out what He says and then submitting to Him when we pray.
Genuine Christians necessarily proclaim to belong to God’s kingdom. As such, the citizens of any kingdom look to their king for answers. So, the question that begs an answer is this: How do we effectively pray to God so we have the assurance that He hears us? The answer lies in knowing our King personally, giving us access to the throne. The truth is that God first draws us and woos us to Himself, even into His presence.
Kings and thrones are the domain of powerbrokers, but the Bible tells us that anyone who believes in Jesus can boldly enter God’s presence as a well-loved child. Being in God’s presence and communicating intimately with Him is the essence of praying effectively. This concept of approachability is entirely unique to the Christian faith—no other religion offers its adherents a personal relationship with their chosen deity.
But that’s not the whole of it. God “fits” us with responsibilities to cooperate with His desires according to our individual personalities and giftings. Why is this important? Because without a proper God connection, the “natural” man does what is right in his own eyes. In our humanness, we go to great lengths to find happiness, acceptance and fulfillment, spending our time, talents and treasures in pursuit of these basic needs. This means that outside of an intimate relationship with God, we do what is right in our own eyes, resulting in fruitless prayers because of the self-centered nature of our requests.
When it comes to personal pursuits to meet our needs, we all know that there are counterfeits out there that promise to satisfy our longing for the real thing. No one wants to be deceived and end up with a phony or a fake. God’s Word is the measuring rod we use to compare everything else to see if it is a counterfeit. Even with all the false allurements, there is Good News! — God wants to meet our basic human needs above and beyond what we could ever think or ask.
What an amazing promise! When we yield to God’s plans and purposes, we step into His destiny for us. By allowing God to direct and guide us, He can satisfy our longings as nothing else can. This is why effective communication (prayer) with God is eternally vital—we can know Him and follow His direction and guidance for our greatest benefit. The Life we receive from God’s Word flows from knowing God authentically and communicating with Him effectively.
Summary. No matter what concept you have about prayer, God wants to bring you closer to Him, even into His presence. He wants you to know Him! Prayer, abiding in the Vine and communing with God in the secret place, is the highest calling that a person can pursue. Achieving a God connection through effective prayer creates a ripple effect, bringing Life and Light to you and to the people in your sphere of influence.
Abiding in the Vine denotes a life-giving connection that bears fruit. This close, intimate relationship encourages us to pray (talk to Him about) His promises, His provisions and His power. When we do, He brings His Life into our temporal world. God tells us in Isaiah 55:11, “My Word will not come back void but will accomplish what I please, and it shall prosper in the thing for which I sent it.”
One person who is yielded to God in prayer can change his neighborhood. God’s touch on a praying man’s neighborhood can change his city that, in turn, changes his state or province. This regional beachhead of righteousness can change a nation, and a godly nation can change the world. Is it possible for one person, who is committed to God through prayer, to change the world? Yes!
Putting It Into Practice
It is important to take action when we hear or read the truth from God’s Word. When we fail to act on what we have heard, James 1:22-25 says that we are only deceiving ourselves.
Heavenly Father, You are amazing in Your love, mercy and grace. I give all my praise to You the Father of my Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed me with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly realms because I am united with Christ.
LORD, I so much want to be effective in my prayers. Help me draw close to You, even into Your presence. I trust Your promise that tells me that as I draw close to You, You will draw close to me. Also, knowing Your promise that tells me that as I diligently seek You, You will reward my efforts. Help me know what it means to have an intimate relationship with You, the Creator of the universe. I want to pray Your way so I ask You to teach me and guide me as I submit to You and Your ways.
LORD, use me according to Your plans and purposes for me, knowing that it is Your will that I seek and not my own. Your Word tells me that You know my needs even before I ask, and that You desire to meet my needs above and beyond what I could ever think or ask. Thank You for such an amazing promise! I yield to the plans and purposes You have destined for me, knowing that You can satisfy my longings as nothing else can.
LORD, I do not want to chase a false god or run after a mirage and end up with a hand full of sand. I seek Your genuine Life so my prayers will be effective and create a ripple effect, bringing Life and Light to the people in my sphere of influence. My heart seeks You in the secret place, the highest calling that a person can pursue. It is there in the shadow of You wings I will find rest. You alone are my refuge, my place of safety. You are my God and I trust You. Your faithful promises are my armor and protection. In Jesus’ precious name I praise You and ask these petitions. Amen.
Excerpted and adapted from David McFadden’s “Prayer by the Book.”
For articles from his “Deeper Life” series go to: https://www.deeperlifeseries.com/devotional-archive
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