“And Samuel spake unto all the house of Israel, saying, If ye do return unto the LORD with all your hearts, then put away the strange gods and Ashtaroth from among you, and prepare your hearts unto the LORD, and serve him only: and he will deliver you out of the hand of the Philistines” (1 Samuel 7:3).
TEXT — 1 Samuel 7: 3-8
Message
According to E.M. Bounds, “What the Church needs today is not more machinery or better, not new organisations or more novel methods, but men whom the Holy Ghost can use – men of prayer, men mighty in prayer”. It is the men and women of prayer that the Lord needs in every age and in every place.
Prophet Samuel gathered the Israelites together in Mizpeh because the nation was in bondage to sin and the Philistines. Idolatrous worship of Baal and Ashtaroth was rampant. The people heeded the call of Samuel and put away their idols to serve God. They followed this with a time of public fasting and repentance. Samuel judged them and corrected them.
The Philistines were not happy that the Israelites were sorry for their sins. They, therefore, gathered together to attack them, especially as they did not want to lose the services the Israelites rendered as slaves. On sighting the army of the Philistines, the Israelites pleaded with Samuel to pray to God for their deliverance. Samuel had called the people to prayers of repentance but now the people called on Samuel for prayers of deliverance.
Jesus challenged the disciples always to pray and not to faint. Prayer is a vibrant weapon that the believer can wield in our walk of faith. There is always a need for prayer in our lives. It is the duty of leaders to mobilise believers to pray, especially when they are experiencing spiritual coldness and apathy. On the other hand, the congregation must turn to their leaders for prayer if they truly want a change in their spiritual and physical conditions. Believers must not murmur and complain when challenging things happen — but must see every challenge as a call to pray.
Thought for the day
Prayer is the key that unlocks the blessings of God.
Listed among “500 most powerful people on the planet” by the Foreign Policy magazine in 2013, Pastor (Dr.) William F. Kumuyi is the founder and General Superintendent of the Deeper Christian Life Ministry (DCLM) headquartered in Lagos, Nigeria. DCLM started in 1973 as a 15-member Bible study group right in Kumuyi’s apartment at University of Lagos where he was a lecturer. His revolutionary Bible teaching on personal holiness and commitment to evangelism soon gained so much traction and resulted in a widespread revival.
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