Hebrews 4:16 So let us confidently approach the throne of grace to receive mercy and to find grace for timely help.
“Prayer should not be regarded as a duty which must be performed, but rather as a privilege to be enjoyed, a rare delight that is always revealing some new beauty.” — Edward McKendree Bounds
Prayer is our privilege. Prayer is not an obligation that must be fulfilled to escape the wrath of God. It is our birthright not a cumbersome burden. We will cherish our time with God when we learn to listen. If we have to do all the talking it will be exhausting and we will fumble for lack of words but when we break free from the physical realm and move into the spiritual realm and start communing with the Lord, prayer time will be enjoyable. If we go into our prayer closet with a longing expectancy to receive a fresh revelation of the goodness, grandeur and the greatness of God, we will be refreshed by His abundant grace.
The first thing that King Hezekiah did as soon as he was crowned as the King of Judah was that he renovated the temple and reopened it for worship. Hezekiah gathered all the people from Israel to celebrate the “Passover Festival”. (Passover was a yearly festival that celebrated the freedom from Egyptian slavery but Israel had not celebrated the festival as they walked away from the precepts of the Lord.) People gathered from all over Israel but they did not have time for the 7 days of ceremonial purification mentioned in (Leviticus 15) before they could part-take in the Passover meal. But Hezekiah prayed for them, saying, “May the Lord, who is good, pardon everyone who sets their heart on seeking God—the Lord, the God of their ancestors—even if they are not clean according to the rules of the sanctuary.” And the Lord heard Hezekiah and healed the people. (2 Chronicles 30:18b-20). Hezekiah through the privilege of prayer mediated for the Lord to pardon the people who failed to fulfill the ceremonial law. The Lord God graciously condoned the law as His love overrules legalism.
The Privilege of Prayer:
1. Mitigates: Prayer of God’s chosen children mitigates for the sinner. Our prayer for our family members, friends or even our foes alleviates the mistakes and finds grace in their time of need. Hezekiah’s prayer brought healing on the hungry that had no time for ceremonial purification. Pray for the stubborn child and the wayward generation to mitigate their mistakes.
2. Manifests: Prayer of the obedient and humble manifests as miracles. Prayer with confidence that we are being heard will always manifest as signs, wonders and miracles.
3. Mediates: Be the mediator for your children, church, community and country. The Lord heard the prayer of Hezekiah and healed all the people who violated the law of the Passover meal.
Prayer is our privilege, not a painful religious performance.
2 Chronicles 30:26 There was great joy in Jerusalem, for since the days of Solomon son of David king of Israel there had been nothing like this in Jerusalem.
Prayer: Father God, what a privilege it is to boldly come and mitigate and mediate for my dear ones. Help me to see my prayer manifest as miracles. Amen.
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