Open Heavens Devotional by Pastor E.A. Adeboye
MEMORIZE: “My voice shall thou hear in the morning, O LORD;
in the morning will I direct my prayer unto thee, and will look up.” (Ps. 5:3).
READ: 1 Timothy 2:1-4
It is great to intercede for leaders. In today’s reading, we
are enjoined to pray for all who are in positions of authority, as this can
bring peace, godliness and honesty. This means, if we are surrounded by so much
turmoil, wickedness and corruption, it is an evidence of not praying enough.
Intercede for your husband. The prayers you invest into your husband will
eventually work in your favour. In the same way, children should pray for their
parents. Do you know that there are parents who bring shame to the family name?
Gehazi was one father no child would want to have. While other parents were
blessing their children, leaving beautiful legacies behind, Gehazi not only brought
leprosy to himself but also his children and generations after him. Every child
that was born into that family cursed the day of their birth. Is your father,
mother or guardian misbehaving? Intercede for them! You can turn their impact
from shame to honour.
However, apart from praying for your leaders, leaders must
take time to regularly pray for themselves. If you depend solely on the prayer
of your prayer champions, you are a lazy leader. God’s call upon your life does
not come with guarantee of success. In my early days of ministry, I once
attended a minister’s conference in Ghana. After the day’s programme of events,
fellow ministers who shared the same hotel with me were busy chatting and
jesting, but I had some disquiet within me. I was not satisfied with myself, my
level, etc., so I quietly took my Bible and went to the rest room and began to
study it and pray until I had a knowing in my spirit that my longings has been
satisfied. If you are distracted where you are, you can separate yourself for
personal communion with God in a rest room, football or volley ball pitch or
even in a prayer work through streets that are not too busy or too noisy. Your
ministry is made or marred in the place of prayer. Ministry without prayer is
like a house with no blocks. The prayer efforts that go into the life of a
leader are not wasted. Even though some prayers are needed for future use by
Heaven, they are still required today.
ACTION POINT:
Don’t limit yourself in prayer. If one prayer method is not
working, try another. Do a prayer-walk of one hour daily, walking around less
busy streets and praying without closing your eyes.
Bible in One year: Isa. 61-63
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