God’s Word contains many promises, and those promises reveal His will for us. When we agree with His Word and pray those promises back to Him, we will see more radical blessings than we’ve ever imagined. God’s Word is true, so pray it aggressively! He longs to hear your prayers and longs to answer them. So often, we miss out on rich spiritual blessings because we simply do not ask.
1. Pray for God to deliver you and honor you.
Psalm 91:15 says, “He shall call upon Me, and I will answer him; I will be with him in trouble; I will deliver him and honor him.”
Psalm 91 contains promise after promise for safety, protection, immunity to the enemy’s attack, and radical blessing. However, Psalm 91:15 is a particular favorite of mine. Why? Because people who are in trouble — even through no fault of their own — often experience shame and dishonor.
Nevertheless, if you’re in trouble today, God promises not only to be with you, but also:
– To deliver you from your trouble;
– To wipe the shame and dishonor off your life; and
– To honor you.
God will heal you from the havoc the enemy tries to wreak in your life. It may not happen as you think it will, or on your timeline, but he promises healing for us. And after He does, He’ll elevate you higher than ever with His honor. So pray this promise back to the Lord today!
2. Ask God to send you His angel with a flaming sword!
In Genesis 3:22-24, God stationed an angel and a flaming sword at the entrance to the Garden of Eden. He did this to keep Adam and Eve from going back in and eating from the tree of life, which would have preserved them forever in their fallen, sinful state. Putting a guard in front of the Garden may have seemed harsh, but He did it for their own good.
Have you ever wished you could have such an angel standing between you and every wrong thing—just to keep you from going down the wrong path? I have! So, awhile back, I began to pray for that very thing, both for myself and for others. My prayer went something like this:
“Lord, please send an angel with a flaming sword to guard me and keep me from going down any path that is not from You!”
After I began praying that simple prayer, I noticed that it was easier to make good decisions. I also saw God turn other people around who had been headed down the wrong path. I believe He answered my prayer! So if you need that extra help, ask the Lord to send an angel with a flaming sword to stand in your path to keep you from going down any wrong way!
3. Ask the Lord to give you creative ideas and witty inventions!
As the original Creator, God is full of bright ideas — and He’d love to share them with you! In Proverbs 8:12, He tells us: “I wisdom dwell with prudence, and find out knowledge of witty inventions.”
Since God wants us to have wisdom, it follows that He wants us to experience all the benefits of that wisdom — including creative ideas and witty inventions. You never know; you could become the creator of some new invention that will change the globe, much the same way that the cotton gin, the steam engine, and the invention of steel changed the world in their times.
Wisdom is from the Lord, so ask Him for all the benefits of that wisdom — including wild ideas and witty inventions!
4. Pray for the same gifting the tribe of Issachar had in the Bible!
In the Bible, the tribe of Issachar had a special gift from the Lord: they understood the times and seasons, and they knew what Israel ought to do at any given time.
First Chronicles 12:32 says, “of the sons of Issachar who had understanding of the times, to know what Israel ought to do, their chiefs were two hundred; and all their brethren were at their command.”
Can you imagine what would happen if all of God’s people always knew the right thing to do — and if the world followed God’s people because of their wisdom? What an impact we could have for the Kingdom!
Well, it’s not a pipe dream. God is no respecter of persons. What He’ll do for one person, He’ll do for another. That means, if He’ll give one person or group the ability to understand times and seasons, He’ll do the same for you.
So, ask Him for the same gifting He gave the children of Issachar, and then watch to see how He answers!
5. Ask Him to open divine rivers for you in desolate heights.
Do you feel dry and lonely on the inside, even if everything on the outside of your life looks great? If so, Father God has help in store for you!
Isaiah 41:17-18 says: “The poor and needy seek water, but there is none, their tongues fail for thirst. I, the Lord, will hear them; I, the God of Israel, will not forsake them. I will open rivers in desolate heights, and fountains in the midst of the valleys; I will make the wilderness a pool of water, and the dry land springs of water.”
In this passage, our Heavenly Father promises to turn all our dry and lonely places into rivers of blessing and intimacy with Himself — even if, outwardly, you look like you’re living in those beautiful mountain heights.
No matter where you are, rest assured that the Lord knows how you are really doing on the inside. So don’t be afraid to ask Him to help you, even if you already have a lot for which to be thankful! He’s always ready to open His rivers for you, even in those desolate heights.
6. Pray to hear and respond to Jesus as He woos you, His bride!
In Song of Solomon 2:10-14, we see Jesus calling us to Himself with many beautiful words. For example, He says:
“Rise up, my love, my fair one, and come away …”
“O my dove, in the clefts of the rock, in the secret places of the cliff, let me see your face, let me hear your voice …”
“… for your voice is sweet, and your face is lovely.”
In the story of Solomon and his bride, the bride eventually gets up to meet with the king. But is it always like that between us and Jesus? How many times have we heard Jesus calling us — only to deny His call, ignore Him, or tell Him “later, Lord”?
The highest blessing we could ever receive from God is simply the gift of His companionship — of intimacy with Him. Every lesser blessing comes after we seek Him first (Matthew 6:33). Do you want the most radical of all blessings — that of intimacy with Christ? If so, ask the Lord to make you sensitive to His voice and His wooing. Ask Him to help you come away with Him every time He calls you. No blessing could be greater than that one-on-one time with Jesus, the lover of your soul.
7. Ask the Lord to enlarge your heart!
Psalm 119:32 says, “I will run the course of Your commandments, for You shall enlarge my heart.” When I read this verse, I think of Secretariat, the great American racehorse who won the Triple Crown in 1973. After Secretariat died, veterinarians determined that his heart was approximately 2.5 times the size of a normal horse’s heart. He was able to run — and win — because the Creator had given him an enlarged heart!
Do you want to fight the good fight and finish the race of your life in victory? If so, ask the Lord to enlarge your heart! This doesn’t necessarily mean that your heart will physically get bigger, but it does mean He will increase your capacity to run with Him. When the Lord enlarges your heart, you will be able to win by finishing His upward call in Christ Jesus.
8. Ask Him to turn all your tears into joy.
If you’ve cried your share of tears, the Lord has a promise for you. Psalm 126:5-6 says: “Those who sow in tears shall reap in joy. He who continually goes forth weeping, bearing seed for sowing, shall doubtless come again with rejoicing, bringing his sheaves with him.”
Did you notice the words “shall” and “doubtless” in that passage? Those words carry certainty. If you have sown in tears, you WILL reap in joy. The Lord will turn all your sorrows and tears into joy. His Word says He will work all things for your good if you love Him.
Don’t take such a big promise lightly. Pray into it! Remind the Lord of all your tears, and that you have met His requirements in Psalm 126. Then ask Him to turn all your tears into joy! He will hear your prayer. And when He turns your captivity into freedom, you will have such joy that it will feel like a dream come true (Psalm 126:1).
9. Pray that Father would load you with His benefits every day!
In Psalm 68:19, David wrote, “Blessed be the Lord, who daily loads us with benefits, the God of our salvation! Selah.”
I discovered that promise recently and was so moved by it that I wanted to keep it in my mind always! So, I purchased a visual reminder: a package of five children’s toys — tiny yellow dump trucks, front-end loaders, and bulldozers.
I felt that looking at these replicas of man-made machines would build my faith! And sure enough, it did. I kept the little model loaders near where I pray each day, and I began to pray something like this:
“Lord, this dozer can move a lot of stuff, but You are so much more powerful! Your Word says that eye has not seen, nor ear heard, nor have entered into the heart of man, the things You have prepared for me! And Your Word says that You will daily load me with benefits! So thank You, Father, for everything You’ve already done … and I ask You, please don’t stop! Please continue to load me down with benefits today, even more than I could ever ask or think. Thank You, Lord, in Jesus’ name!”
When I started praying that way, it built my faith … and God responded. I began to see even more blessings than usual. Why? Because I believed His Word that He daily loads us with benefits!
Do you want to see more of the Father’s blessings in your life? Remind Him of this promise, and ask Him to load you down with His benefits today and every day going forward!
[written by Jamie Rohrbaugh]
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