Click here to listen to the radio version.
Click here to search the AOG archives.
Apples of Gold
Radio Script for March 26, 2010
“Pray for People”
Hello, I’m Doug Apple…with Apples of Gold.
I know this sounds simple, like it doesn’t even need to be said.
But I just want to remind you to take time to pray for people.
Intercede for people. Call out their name to the Lord. Ask for God to intervene in their life.
James 5:16 says, “The effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much.” The New Living Translation words it this way, “The earnest prayer of a righteous person has great power and produces wonderful results.”
I know, I know, it’s hard to connect cause and effect. You pray, and even if something does happen, was it because you prayed?
Last week my dad, who has a history of heart problems, suddenly had severe chest pain. We did two things. We rushed him to the hospital, and we prayed for him; and we sent out text messages asking others to pray. My children and their friends gathered around at a party and prayed for my dad.
And his pain went away.
The doctors did all their tests, but everything was fine.
Was it because we prayed? I can’t prove it, but I sure believe in prayer. I believe that prayer can change things, so I pray.
Yesterday my wife had a routine surgery, but have you ever had the doctors warn you about what could happen in a routine surgery? It’s enough to turn your stomach.
So what did I do? I prayed. I prayed leading up to the surgery. I prayed for the doctors and the nurses and everything I could think of. I prayed during the surgery. I asked others to pray.
And everything went perfectly. The surgeon came out to talk to me and she couldn’t have been happier.
Was it because we prayed? I can’t prove it, but I sure believe in prayer.
In Matthew 6:6 Jesus said that when we pray to our heavenly Father, He will reward us.
I prayed for years that my children would marry good godly Christian spouses. Last year two of them were married and whom did they marry? Good godly Christian spouses.
Was it because I prayed? I can’t say for sure, but it sure didn’t hurt.
No, not everything I’ve prayed for has happened, but I won’t let that stop me from praying. I’m going to pray and pray and pray.
I pray for people I see everyday, and I pray for people I haven’t seen in ages. Often I will just pray and intercede for people as they come to my mind during prayer times. When you commit time to pray for people, you will be amazed at the variety of people that pops into your head.
How do you know what to pray for people?
Well look at First John 5. It says, “This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us. And if we know that He hears us – whatever we ask – we know that we have what we asked of Him.”
So we want to pray according to God’s will. And it’s pretty easy to determine God’s will for someone when we pray according to Scripture.
One thing I do is pray along with prayers I find in the Bible. For example, in Ephesians 1:17 Paul said, “I keep asking that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious Father, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and revelation, so that you may know Him better.”
That is a prayer you can confidently pray for others. “Lord, I pray for my son that You will give him the Spirit of wisdom and revelation so that he can know You better.”
See how that works? You are praying according to Scripture, which should boost your confidence level through the roof that you are praying according to God’s will. And First John 5 says that if we ask anything according to God’s will, then God hears us, and if He hears us, we get what we ask for.
Today I am reminding you to pray for people. Now maybe you used to pray more for people, but you got away from it. Or maybe it didn’t seem to do any good.
Well don’t give up! It is important to be persistent in prayer.
In Luke 18 Jesus told the parable of the persistent widow, and what was the point? To show His disciples that they should “always pray and not give up.”
I’ve heard some people say, “Well, the biggest thing prayer changes is me.”
Yes, prayer will change you, but it’s so much bigger than that. Prayer will change the world.
James 5 reminds us of Elijah who prayed that it wouldn’t rain and it didn’t, and then prayed that it would rain and it did. And James said, “Elijah was a man just like us.”
Prayer worked for Elijah and it will work for us.
So as we head into this Palm Sunday weekend, please find some time to pray.
Take time out to seek the Lord, to intercede and to earnestly pray for people.
Comments?
E-mail me: dougapple@wave94.com.
May God bless you today! With Apples of Gold…I’m Doug Apple.
© 2010 The Arrow’s Tip
To subscribe to your own daily “Apples of Gold” e-mail, write dougapple@wave94.com.
If you want to be removed from this e-mail list, simply click reply and type UNSUBSCRIBE on the subject line.
If you want to catch “Apples of Gold” in its original audio format, go to www.wave94.com
To search through the large archive of past articles, go here: http://www.wave94.com/modules.php?name=Stories_Archive
If you have trouble reaching me at my main e-mail address, try this one: douglas_apple@msn.com
(Proverbs 25:11 – “A word fitly spoken is like apples of gold in settings of silver.”)
Why “The Arrow’s Tip”? Each morning, after diligently seeking the Lord, I write Apples of Gold. Then before I release it to the public I pray one final prayer, “Lord, send forth your arrows.” I envision Apples of Gold as arrows, tips dipped in the river of the water of life that flows from the throne of God (Rev. 22:1), sailing toward the hearts and minds of men and women around the world.
Doug Apple
General Manager - Wave 94
Christian Radio for Tallahassee
PO Box 4105
Tallahassee, FL 32315
(850) 926-8000
-vi-
No comments:
Post a Comment