Together - Daily DevotionalSample

Overcoming through Prayer

Reading: 2 Kings 20:1-7

Key Verse: “Go back and tell Hezekiah, the leader of my people, ‘This is what the Lord, the God of your father David says, I have heard your prayer and seen your tears; I will heal you.’” verse 4

To pray in old English means to wish or desire. We often still send someone who is suffering our “best wishes”. One aspect of prayer is that we simply express our wishes to God. The cynic would disparage such an act and claim answered prayer was merely coincidence. In response to such criticism, William Temple, then Archbishop of Canterbury, said that coincidences happened when he prayed and stopped happening when he stopped praying – that was a coincidence wasn’t it!

James 5:16 encourages us that, “tremendous power is released through the passionate, heartfelt prayer of a godly believer”. Today’s passage speaks of God healing through prayer and Hillsong has many testimonies of people experiencing healing in this way. But what about when people are not healed or do not have their prayers answered? When Jesus expressed His wish to God to be spared the crucifixion He was “deeply distressed, troubled, my soul is overwhelmed with sorrow” (Mark 14:33-34). Yet after prayer He faced arrest, trial, torture and death with calm and confidence. Prayer either changes the situation or changes us to experience God’s peace in the situation. In modern parlance, it’s a win-win scenario! Through prayer, we overcome and remain faithful!

Prayer: Thank you Lord that You either deliver me from trouble or deliver me through trouble. Either way I overcome with You!