Colossians 4:2-4 (ESV)
2 Continue steadfastly in prayer, being watchful in it
with thanksgiving. 3 At the same time, pray also for us, that God may open to
us a door for the word, to declare the mystery of Christ, on account of which I
am in prison— 4 that I may make it clear, which is how I ought to speak.
I read a story from a minister in Fort Worth, Texas. He
tell the story of another pastor who years ago received divine protection as a
result of prayer-building walls or boundaries of protection. This pastor had
developed the discipline of beginning every day with an hour of prayer.
One particular day, however, he felt a strong leading of
the Holy Spirit to pray longer so he continued for a second hour. After two
hours he still felt the need to keep on praying, so he persevered for a third
hour asking for God's protection and blessing on his day; as well as for other
things. He then felt released from the need to pray longer so he stopped.
That evening as he was mowing his lawn, he felt something
repeatedly brush up against his leg. He looked down and saw a coiled
rattlesnake trying to strike him, but it just couldn't hit him. Instead, it
kept brushing either side of his leg.
Why had the man felt the need to pray longer that
morning? What was he doing? Among other things he was building
"boundaries" of protection through prayer.
Some would say, of course, that God doesn't need three
hours of prayer to protect one from a rattlesnake. I would agree. He didn't
"need" seven days of marching around Jericho to tear it down either,
but He chose to do it that way. He doesn't "need" to spit in a
person's eve to heal them, but He did once. Why He requires things to be done
certain ways, we don't always know, but we do knew that for us obedience is the
key. If He says "three hours" then three hours is exactly what it
will take.
Dear Lord, thank You that we can come to You in prayer.
We pray that our hearts and minds would be open to Your prompting us to pray.
In Jesus’ Name, Amen.
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