THE POWER OF PRAYER – PART 1

Let us look at some key passages in the New Testament, learning together about having Faith that Works and the Power of Prayer. By now, as believers, we know what it means to have faith, how to deal with the issue of people playing favourites, the hindrances to efficient prayer and the purposes of prayer. Let us take a look how YHVH invites us to pray to Him at different times in our lives. James gives us four very specific times that YHVH invites us to come to Him in the power of prayer. YHVH Invites Me to Pray When…:

1 -- I Need Comfort and Strength:

Each one of us go through periods in our lives when we find ourselves in need of someone to give us comfort and to offer us the strength we need to move forward. Is any among you afflicted? Let him pray. Is any merry? Let him sing psalms. -- James 5:13. There are some of you today that are experiencing a great deal of suffering, some of you are dealing with struggle in your family, others have seen relationships disintegrate, some have lost loved ones, others are dealing with disease, loss of income, tremendous stress and a host of other problems. It is not at all unusual in these times to begin to feel distant from YHVH. The Word tells us that it is in these times that we need to pray. Casting all your care upon Him; for He careth for you. -- 1 Peter 5:7. YHVH knows your situation, He understands the struggle, He wants to be involved in the suffering with you and to see you come through on the other side. YHVH cares about what happens to you, He is deeply concerned and He wants to give you the comfort and strength that you need. All that He asks is that you pray, that you discuss the problem with Him, that you be open to what He has to say to you. Sometimes I know that it seems impossible to pray; there are those times when we have no words to say; we are at a complete loss as to how to express our need to YHVH. In those times I think it is appropriate to just look to the heavens and say: YHVH, please help! Likewise, the Spirit also helpeth our infirmities: for we know not what we should pray for as we ought: but the Spirit itself maketh intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered. -- Romans 8:26. Ruach HaKodesh will pray for you if you will let Him, just open up your heart and allow Him to take over.

2 -- I Need Healing for my Body:

Since I was a young man, I have watched so-called faith healers on TV. I used to get quite a kick out of them and would laugh as I watched them push people to the ground, supposedly curing them of their ailments. Now when I see them, I have a different response: I get angry when I see these people abusing the Scripture and taking advantage of people by playing to their emotions and siphoning their money from their wallets. No-where in the Bible does it advise us to go to faith healers for healing. Is any sick among you? Let him call for the elders of the church; and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of Adonai: and the prayer of faith shall save the sick, and Adonai shall raise him up -- James 5:14, 15a. YHVH’s resource for physical healing is prayer. He says that we are to call for the elders to pray and to anoint us with oil [symbolic of Ruach HaKodesh]. Obviously any believer can pray for healing and YHVH can respond, but here we are specifically told to call for the elders of the church to pray. I have personally seen miraculous healing take place as a result of this. I have also seen this take place where the person prayed for, soon passed away. The fact of the matter is in both cases, healing took place. The ultimate healing for believers is death, because it is only in physical death that we are made completely new and come into the presence of YHVH. It is only in physical death that all suffering ceases for all time. If physical healing for this life was always YHVH’s will, no believer would ever die [have you ever wondered why faith healers still get sick?]. But why does YHVH sometimes grant healing so this life will continue and other times He allows the person to die? I have absolutely no idea! I’ve gotten to the point that I’ve quit asking the question, I just continue to pray and allow YHVH to answer according to His will.

3 -- I Need Forgiveness for my Sin:

Workers for the Chicago Transit Authority came up with some interesting terms to describe life on the trains and tracks of the city, said writer Anne Keegan. The elevated train often runs on a platform built above the city streets. In many places, these platforms are narrow, with just enough width for two trains to pass. If a workman was fixing the tracks when two trains came from different directions, he would have no room to move to avoid the oncoming trains. And so, now and then, alongside the tracks there is a small platform with a railing, three feet square, projecting out over the street. These small platforms provide a place for those working on the tracks to escape an oncoming train. Workers for the Chicago Transit Authority call these platforms, Fool-catchers. On occasion we all play the fool, we lose our temper, bend the truth, neglect our responsibilities or perhaps even do something criminal. Sometimes these sinful habits accumulate beyond our control and we find our lives moving further and further away from YHVH. In these times, YHVH invites us to pray, but He goes further than that; YHVH says that we should confess our sins to others so that they might pray on our behalf. And if he has committed sins, they shall be forgiven him. Confess your faults one to another and pray one for another, that ye may be healed. -- James 5:15B-16a. The interesting thing here is that this is the tail end of the passage we just read where we are to call on the elders of the church to pray for our physical healing. But here it is specifically talking about sin that needs to be confessed. James includes both needs here; both in times of physical suffering and in times of spiritual suffering, the solution is prayer.

In fact, in some cases there appears to be a connection between un-confessed sin and physical suffering, while that is definitely not always the case, sometimes it is. The point here is that we are to take our need to other people so that they can intercede for us before the throne of YHVH. This does not say that you have to take every wrong that you have ever committed and confess it before the entire church! It is saying that when you are caught up in a sinful behaviour you need to go to someone you trust, an elder or minister of the church or perhaps a believer friend that you know you can rely on and share your burden with them. Then they can pray for you, can make an appeal to YHVH on your behalf, can share with you in the struggle and help you to overcome the problem. Again, I say unto you, that if two of you shall agree on earth as touching anything that they shall ask, it shall be done for them of my Father which is in heaven. For where two or three are gathered together in My Name, there am I in the midst of them. -- Matthew 18:19-20. Now the interesting thing is, Yeshua made this statement in the context of a believer that was caught sinning against other believers. He had just finished telling the procedure for dealing with such a situation just prior to these verses. I am quite sure that in this context Yeshua is saying that this believer who has sinned is in need of intercession by his or her fellow believers. A person confesses their sin, then two or three of us are able to bring this matter before YHVH in prayer and Yeshua promises to be in our midst as we petition our Father. We are not confessing to receive condemnation, but to receive the support and encouragement we need from other Moshiach Followers and from YHVH Himself. YHVH invites me to pray when I need comfort and strength; I need healing for my body; I need forgiveness for my sin and there is one last invitation YHVH gives us to pray that we really need to believe and act upon if we really expect our lives to make a significant impact for Moshiach in the world in which we live.

I believe that every follower of Yeshua (aka Jesus) should be keeping God's appointed times. Passover, Shavuot, Yom Teruah, Yom Kippur, etc. I believe that doing so honors God and teaches valuable lessons.

I also believe it's important that we try to do it the way God said to as much as possible, including the timing. Of course, very few people can go to Jerusalem, and there's no altar or priesthood, so there's a lot we can't do, but we can keep the spirit of the Feasts.

We have a pretty good idea of the correct timing, though. If you believe that Yeshua is the Messiah, then you must believe that he kept the commandments correctly. We know that he kept the weekly Sabbath and the other appointed times on the same day that the Pharisees and Sadducees did. They were wrong about some things, but clearly not about everything. With a few minor exceptions, we know when the first century Jews kept the weekly Sabbath and all of the other appointed times and therefore when Yeshua kept them. They counted the months according the new moon and the weeks according to a continuous cycle of 7 days with no connection to the new moon, and so did Yeshua.

Whether you follow the sighting of the new moon or the calculated new moon, you can get the timing of the annual holy days right within a day or two, even if you've chosen the wrong method...whichever that is. Maybe you count the start of the year by the sighting of ripe barley or maybe you count it by the calculated agricultural cycles. Either method is reasonable, and I don't think we have sufficient information about first century practices.

However, if you're trying to keep the appointed times on a day that's radically different than most other people--counting the Sabbath by the new moon or calculating the months without reference to the new moon, for example--I have to wonder what makes you think you know better than Yeshua.

If you don't think keeping the feasts is important to God, this probably seems like a petty disagreement. I'll simply refer you back to the Scriptures, which plainly say that the timing of the feasts is important to him. If the King summoned you to court on Tuesday and you showed up on Wednesday because it was more convenient for you, do think he would care?

These are the appointed feasts of the LORD, which you shall proclaim as times of holy convocation, for presenting to the LORD food offerings, burnt offerings and grain offerings, sacrifices and drink offerings, each on its proper day...
Leviticus 23:37

23And יהוה spoke to Mosheh, saying,

24“Speak to the children of Yisra’ĕl, saying, ‘In the seventh month, on the first day of the month, you have a rest, a remembrance of blowing of trumpets, a set-apart gathering.

25‘You do no servile work, and you shall bring an offering made by fire to יהוה.’ ”

Leviticus 23

Our Verse of the Week

Shalom people. Anyone got a link for a Yom Teruah event? ?
I’m in the UK, and I don’t really know how to celebrate. I would love to join someone online from here ?

On this date in history, 09/25/1957: United States Army soldiers escort nine black students past a cordon of Arkansas National Guard into all-white Central High School in Little Rock, Arkansas. #otd #tdih #arkansashistory

Thought for Today: Sunday September 25:

May YHVH surprise you with moments of Grace and Refreshment. May He bring the long-waited breakthrough for you. May He bless you with sudden belly-laughter and watery-eyed joy. May He give you a gift that you least expect. May He inspire you to pray more audaciously than you ever have before. He is with you and for you always!

Should we be celebrating Halloween?

Ideas for celebrating Yom T'ruah, the Day of Shouting, aka the Feast of Trumpets. ?
https://homeschoolingtorah.com..../yom-truah-feast-of-