Our prayers, easy to turn them into flowery platitudes of spiritual sounding rhetoric. People face difficult times and they asked for prayer and prayer is what we turn to when we're faced with suffering or calamity. These practices diminish the purpose of prayer. Prayer is defined as a spiritual communion with God per contains petitions and entreaties, but also worship and praise and worship. All that really means is thinking on spending time with having your mind focused on the thing that you say has worth, and God almighty. The creator of the universe is certainly worthy of all our worship. So after his disciples and I'm speaking of Jesus and his disciples, after his disciples asked about prayer, they wanted to know how to pray as they observed their teacher. Jesus, praying as an essential part of his life. As he walked this earth, Jesus demonstrated to them how to pray. And since the son of God prayed often daily, always how much more should we, how much more essential is this spiritual discipline for our daily walk yet I know is much more than what is practiced by most Christians.

Yeah. Prayer is for Christians the way to commune and communicate and stay connected with God. God hears our prayers yet. He is not obligated to answer prayers of those who reject him. Really. It's not unlike a strange adult children running to their parents only for help when there's a problem or trouble. They're never seeking to build a relationship. Yet. Relationship building is precisely what prayer is about, and God has given us this beautiful privilege as a gift. This gift demonstrates God's longing to connect with each of us intimately and love only. God doesn't need us to help him in any way yet. He has given the practice of prayer as a tool, not to only commune with him, but to also co-labor with him. This is one way how we can participate in kingdom work. We co-labor with God. As we persevere in prayer, we participate God's purposes.

When he, when we pray, we participate in warfare. When we pray, remember, God doesn't need us yet. He longs for us to enjoy the gift of prayer and the power of prayer by the creative design, the majestic beings, we know them as angels await their marching orders, which is garnered from our prayers. Now, um, this is not to say that God needs us so that his angels there to do the work. What I am suggesting and telling you is that go ahead, gave us this wonderful gift. So we can, we too can partner dissipate in the kingdom, uh, practices and kingdom work. So God doesn't need us. He can come in and his angels at any time to do his will and work yet. God also has prayers away that we too can participate. Take for example, this historical count of David, um, it's found in Dan or excuse me, Daniel, it's found in Daniel chapter 10, I'll read part of it.

Um, and then just kind of summarize part as well. In those days, I, Daniel had been mourning for three entire weeks. I did not eat any tasty food nor did meat or wine. Enter my mouth nor did I use any ointment at all. And until the entire three weeks were completed, Daniel saw the horrible state that Israel was in. They were in captivity now. And so he was an earnest prayer and a vision came to him. An angel came down only. He saw the vision, but his companions, they heard it. They knew something was going on and terrified, ran away. It continues in verse seven. Now I, Daniel alone saw the vision while the men who were with me did not see the vision. And so they ran away and left him and here Daniel says, but I heard the sound of his words. This is the vision that showed up the, the angel.

As soon as I heard the sound of his words, I fell into a deep sleep on my face with my face to the ground. Now, first of all, if I may, could you imagine if you had this vision and this huge being that Daniel tries to describe is there before you and your companions leave you, they abandoned you. But here's what this angelic being said to Daniel to, or Tim Daniel. Yeah. You who are treasured. Understand the words that I am about to tell you and stand at your place for, I have now been sent to you. And when he had spoken this to me, I stood up trembling. Then he said to me, do not be afraid Daniel, for from the first day that you set your heart on understanding this and on humbling yourself before your God, your words were heard. And I have come in response to your words.

Isn't that amazing. It was because of Daniel's prayer that this angel was able to come. The angel continues telling Daniel this, but the prince of the kingdom of Persia was standing in my way for 21 days. Now, remember Daniel fasted for 21 days, there was warfare going on. Daniel was participating in a way he didn't fully comprehend till this vision. And so, as it goes on, and he was able to tell Daniel that after these 21 days that he was released and he was able to tell him that I have come to answer the concerns of your heart. And then the angel goes on to say, then this one with human appearance, speaking of the angel touched me again and strengthened me. And he said, you are treasured. Do not be afraid. Peace be to you, take courage and be courageous. Now, as soon as he spoke to me, I felt strengthened and said, may my Lord speak for you has strengthened me.

Then he said, do you understand why I came to you? But I shall now return to fight against the prince of Persia. So I am leaving and behold, the prince of Greece is about to come. However, I will tell you what is recorded in the writing of truth yet, there is no one who stands firmly with me against these forces except Michael, your prince. So here at Daniel's been told, he's participating in spiritual warfare, seeing behind the veil picture of what was going on. And that's what prayer is ultimately about is participating in what God provided, participating and fighting in spiritual warfare through prayer. So do you see it? There was the cause of a three-week delay, why it was because of an evil spiritual force and it wasn't until Daniel persevered in prayer and fasting that God sent his angels and they were released to do battle because an evil angel also called a demon was opposing God's angel assigned to Persia evil, outweighed righteousness until Daniel participated because there are boundaries in the spiritual were almost all as well.

And so Daniel was doing warfare and helping break down those walls. I like how the angel not only comforted Daniel, but encouraged him as well, do not be afraid Daniel for from the first day that you set your heart on understanding this and on humbling yourself before your God, your words were. And I have come in response to your words, prayer it's important. It is perhaps the most important thing we can do in the kingdom work of God's people. It is most often the very best gift we can give to another person. Earnest prayer, specific focused, heartfelt prayer built from a relationship with God are the effective prayers. Prayers are almost always warfare based. Ephesians six, uh, chapter six, Paul writes to the effusion church. So the church had emphasis for our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers against the powers against the world forces of this darkness against the spiritual fork forces of wickedness in heavenly places, therefore take up the full armor of God so that you'll be able to resist on the evil day and having done everything to stand firm.

So God's provision for warfare is not a physical armor, but a spiritual one. And since this warfare, we need the means to fight starting with standing from a belt of truth around our waste, which has God's word put on the breastplate of righteousness. We stand justified and righteous because Jesus declared us so strap onto our feet. The preparation of the gospel of peace, take up the word to be peacemakers, not peacekeepers. Take the shield of faith with which you will be able to extinguish all the flaming errors, arrows of the evil one, put on the helmet of salvation speaking. Our truth of God's love and speaking God's truth to ourselves. So our minds are filled with those things, use the sword of the spirit, which is God's word and prayer. If we change our perspective and pet practice practices of what we used to think prayer was and learn what prayer really is.

It's God's way to build relationship with us. We can avail so much more. There is truly power in prayer. We can pray for those things that burden our hearts. We can pray for those things that worry our minds. We can pray. We can through prayer release, all those cares concerns and worries into the capable, loving hands of God almighty. And we also can intercede or pray on the behalf of others to our heavenly father waits, to hear from each one of us, from me and from you. So let's avail that beautiful privilege of prayer. And until next time, this is Sandra Vernon.