Praying in Harmony with the Word
Let these my words, with which I have made supplication before the Lord, be near to the Lord our God day and night, that he maintain the cause of his servant, and the cause of his people Israel, as every day shall require. — 1 Kings 8:59
We may boldly say: The Lord is my helper, and I will not fear what man shall do unto me. — Hebrews 13:6
Author
Dr. Roberto Miranda
Summary: As we cultivate a miracle through prayer, we must ground our requests in God’s specific Word and ensure they agree with Scripture and his past deeds. Appealing to his promises allows us to approach his throne with confidence, because God is faithful to his principles. That is why we need to study the Bible. Jehoshaphat recalled God’s Word, promises, and works, relying on his constancy as a precedent. As we declare what God has done and who he is, our faith grows stronger. Even in the face of an overwhelming threat, we can remember that he has delivered us before and trust that he can do so again.
One of the things we must do when we are incubating and cultivating a miracle through prayer is to pray rooted in the specific word of God, and to make sure that what we are asking for fits with and flows in harmony with the declarations of Scripture and God’s past deeds.
This is important. When we ground our requests in the Word and in God’s promises, we are actually making a formal, legal appeal before His throne. We are like lawyers coming before a judge and saying to him, “Your Honor, the law says such and such, and I base my appeal on that established legal principle.” And God abides by His law! He abides by His principles. Therefore, when we know the Word of God and understand the principles of spiritual life, we can come before the Father with greater authority and confidence.
That is why it is important to know and study the Bible, the declared Word of God. If you study this prayer carefully, you will see how many times Jehoshaphat reminds God of His Word, His promises, and His mighty deeds throughout Israel’s history. He is employing what is known in the legal world as the principle of precedent. According to this legal principle, the earlier formal acts and decisions of a government or judicial system establish an unshakable basis for future actions in similar situations. It is assumed that a government will always act consistently. And God, as we well know, is the most consistent and faithful Being in the entire universe.
Appealing to God’s mighty deeds has the ultimate virtue of strengthening our faith. Every time we declare, “Lord, You did this in Your Word. Father, You possess this attribute,” what is happening? Our faith is growing stronger!
How important it is that, when we are praying and the enemy is almost upon us, breathing his evil breath down our backs, we remind the Lord, “Father, look at the terrible situation I am in. You have delivered me before from truly impossible situations, and I believe You can do exactly the same thing again. You are the same yesterday, today, and forever, and Your power knows no limits.” That kind of bold declaration will inevitably cause our faith to grow and the giant we are confronting to collapse before the power of our positive confession.