Jide Oladimeji

We all pray, sinners pray, saints pray, and even those who directly serve Satan, they pray. The problem facing us is that many of us are used to unanswered prayers because we do not understand how to pray through. It is not enough to pray but there must be corresponding answer. To be able to pray thorough, there are some considerations that we must look into.

For a brief study, we shall examine some prayers in the Bible and their qualities that made God to reckon with them.

HANNAH

1Sa 1:9  So Hannah rose up after they had eaten in Shiloh, and after they had drunk. Now Eli the priest sat upon a seat by a post of the temple of the LORD. 10  And she was in bitterness of soul, and prayed unto the LORD, and wept sore. 11  And she vowed a vow, and said, O LORD of hosts, if thou wilt indeed look on the affliction of thine handmaid, and remember me, and not forget thine handmaid, but wilt give unto thine handmaid a man child, then I will give him unto the LORD all the days of his life, and there shall no razor come upon his head.

1Sa 1:18  And she said, Let thine handmaid find grace in thy sight. So the woman went her way, and did eat, and her countenance was no more sad. 19  And they rose up in the morning early, and worshipped before the LORD, and returned, and came to their house to Ramah: and Elkanah knew Hannah his wife; and the LORD remembered her. 

1. She went to the Lord
2. She was not looking up to any man for help
3. She expressed her emotions to the Lord
4. She made a vow
5. She poured her whole heart to God 1Peter 5: 7
6. She was definite
7. She demonstrated her confidence in God

JEHOSHAPHAT  2Chronicles 20: 1 – 17

1. He allowed his fears to drive him to God
2. They fasted and prayed
3. He started his prayer with praises
4. He stated God’s position
5. He reminded God His word
6. He presented the situation to God
7. He knew the word of God
8. He expressed his fears
9. He reported the enemies to God
10. He requested for judgment in them v 12
11. He expressed reliance on God v 12
12. They showed that they were desperate
13. The answer came

HEZEKIAH Isaiah 37: 15 – 22, 33 – 38

1. He recognized who God is
2. He sought audience with God
3. He requested for help
4. He knew the answer would give glory to God

THINGS TO CONSIDER

1. Remember who you are
2. Remember the covenant
3. Be definite

1. Exercise faith and confidence
2. Damn all consequences
3. Demonstrate your faith
4. Remind God of His promised

Before an enemy will come to fight against you, he must have got plans and strategies he will use against you.

He will plan on the weapons, the number of soldiers and the methods of attack that he will use to be able to have total victory.

When God handles your enemies, He overrides their plans, methods and techniques.

We shall look at few cases in the Bible to understand how God does it because He has not changed.

THE SYRIAN ARMY

2Ki 6:24 And it came to pass after this, that Benhadad king of Syria gathered all his host, and went up, and besieged Samaria. 25 And there was a great famine in Samaria: and, behold, they besieged it, until an ass’s head was sold for fourscore pieces of silver, and the fourth part of a cab of dove’s dung for five pieces of silver.

2Ki 7:1 Then Elisha said, Hear ye the word of the LORD; Thus saith the LORD, To morrow about this time shall a measure of fine flour be sold for a shekel, and two measures of barley for a shekel, in the gate of Samaria. 2 Then a lord on whose hand the king leaned answered the man of God, and said, Behold, if the LORD would make windows in heaven, might this thing be? And he said, Behold, thou shalt see it with thine eyes, but shalt not eat thereof. 3 And there were four leprous men at the entering in of the gate: and they said one to another, Why sit we here until we die? 4 If we say, We will enter into the city, then the famine is in the city, and we shall die there: and if we sit still here, we die also. Now therefore come, and let us fall unto the host of the Syrians: if they save us alive, we shall live; and if they kill us, we shall but die. 5 And they rose up in the twilight, to go unto the camp of the Syrians: and when they were come to the uttermost part of the camp of Syria, behold, there was no man there. 6 For the Lord had made the host of the Syrians to hear a noise of chariots, and a noise of horses, even the noise of a great host: and they said one to another, Lo, the king of Israel hath hired against us the kings of the Hittites, and the kings of the Egyptians, to come upon us. 7 Wherefore they arose and fled in the twilight, and left their tents, and their horses, and their asses, even the camp as it was, and fled for their life.

Let us take their methods and techniques one at a time.

• They came with great number that Israel could not challenge.
• They came with terrible weapons.
• They came with much food stuffs so that they could last for many days. They knew that when food finished in the city, the people would open the gates themselves and they could conquer them easily.

So, they waited outside the gates because for them they knew that however long it might be, the gates would be opened.

Suddenly in the early morning at the breaking of the day, the Lord made them to hear the sound of mighty armies and hey themselves mentioned that some powerful armies that they feared were coming to fight for Israel. So, they started running away with terrible fear and panicking. In the haste to escape, they left all their properties, food, animals and whatever could hinder or delay them.

What about their plans, strategies, methods, number of soldiers and the weapons? They could not think on any of those directions. One thing was important to them and that was their own lives.

So, God destroyed their strategies.

Today whatever number of enemies are fighting you, if you can pray this simple prayer, God, will do wonders on your behave.

JEHOSHAPHAT

2Ch 20:1 It came to pass after this also, that the children of Moab, and the children of Ammon, and with them other beside the Ammonites, came against Jehoshaphat to battle. 2 Then there came some that told Jehoshaphat, saying, There cometh a great multitude against thee from beyond the sea on this side Syria; and, behold, they be in Hazazontamar, which is Engedi. 3 And Jehoshaphat feared, and set himself to seek the LORD, and proclaimed a fast throughout all Judah.

2Ch 20:22 And when they began to sing and to praise, the LORD set ambushments against the children of Ammon, Moab, and mount Seir, which were come against Judah; and they were smitten. 23 For the children of Ammon and Moab stood up against the inhabitants of mount Seir, utterly to slay and destroy them: and when they had made an end of the inhabitants of Seir, every one helped to destroy another. 24 And when Judah came toward the watch tower in the wilderness, they looked unto the multitude, and, behold, they were dead bodies fallen to the earth, and none escaped.

Three armies came together to destroy Judah under the leadership of Jehoshaphat.

Jehoshaphat was afraid so he ran to the house of God for fasting and prayer. He also ordered the people to pray and fast.

God took control of the situation and asked them to go to the battlefield as spectators. The enemies came as three armies from different nations. They must had planned, strategized and agreed together on the methods they would use to finish Jehoshaphat and his people.

They had a great number of soldiers and they also had weapons. Judah was not a match for them in any area. God sent the invisible armies of heaven against them and the help to eliminate themselves.

The bible says that by the time Jehoshaphat got there, there was no human being alive and no one escaped.

What then happened to the many months of preparation, planning, strategizing, and mobilization, God destroyed everything.

God has not changed, the number of your enemies is not a challenge to God. The weapons, experiences, and Technics of your enemies cannot be a problem for God.

Jehoshaphat believed God to the point of putting the choir in front of the army as they were going to the battlefield.

If you can totally rely and relax on God you will see wonders and all the plans, technics and strategies of your enemies shall be destroyed.

HEZEKIAH

I will encourage you to read Isaiah, chapters thirty-six, thirty-seven and thirty-eight to be able to see the pictures very well.

King Sennacherib of Assyrian empire had come against Judah. He had conquered other countries around and Judah could not even qualify to face him.

He sent his servant to go and reproof, rebuke, insult and ridicule Judah and their God.

Judah under the leadership of Hezekiah, trusted their God and depended upon Him.

In one night, God sent only one angel to the camp of the Assyrians. The angel selected one hundred and eighty-five thousand leaders among them and finished them that night. When they woke up in the morning, their leader, commanders, supervisors were all dead. The king went back home shamefully and his children killed him in the house of his god.

• He had plans against Judah.
• He had serious weapons and well experience soldiers.
• He must have technically and strategically planned how to handle Judah.

When God took over, every plan, strategy or technic were destroyed.

We walk by faith and not by sight our God is the Almighty if only we can come to Him, if only we can serve Him with sincerity, we do not have any problem that He cannot handle.

Now look up to Him, trust Him totally.  You will never regret serving the Lord.

Romans 8:28 And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.

Proverbs 13:22 A good man leaveth an inheritance to his children’s children: and the wealth of the sinner is laid up for the just.

Ecclesiastes 2:26  For God giveth to a man that is good in his sight wisdom, and knowledge, and joy: but to the sinner he giveth travail, to gather and to heap up, that he may give to him that is good before God. This also is vanity and vexation of spirit.

Proverbs 28:8 He that by usury and unjust gain increaseth his substance, he shall gather it for him that will pity the poor.

Since God is the Almighty, He can use anybody or anything to His own glory.

We shall take just few cases of the Bible to show how God does it.

DAVID

1Sa 30:1 And it came to pass, when David and his men were come to Ziklag on the third day, that the Amalekites had invaded the south, and Ziklag, and smitten Ziklag, and burned it with fire; 2 And had taken the women captives, that were therein: they slew not any, either great or small, but carried them away, and went on their way.

1Sa 30:17 And David smote them from the twilight even unto the evening of the next day: and there escaped not a man of them, save four hundred young men, which rode upon camels, and fled. 18 And David recovered all that the Amalekites had carried away: and David rescued his two wives. 19 And there was nothing lacking to them, neither small nor great, neither sons nor daughters, neither spoil, nor any thing that they had taken to them: David recovered all. 20 And David took all the flocks and the herds, which they drave before those other cattle, and said, This is David’s spoil.

The situation was so bad that these men who had lost their children, wives, and properties wept until they had no strength to weep again. God encourage David and after the war they had reasons to rejoice.

God blessed them greatly with the riches of their enemies to the point that David was able to send many animals to many towns in Judah.

God has not changed, all those who are causing problems for you now can be used by God to bless you.

Pray and ask God to do it for you even now.

CITY OF SAMARIA

2Ki 6:24  And it came to pass after this, that Benhadad king of Syria gathered all his host, and went up, and besieged Samaria. 25 And there was a great famine in Samaria: and, behold, they besieged it, until an ass’s head was sold for fourscore pieces of silver, and the fourth part of a cab of dove’s dung for five pieces of silver. 26 And as the king of Israel was passing by upon the wall, there cried a woman unto him, saying, Help, my lord, O king. 27 And he said, If the LORD do not help thee, whence shall I help thee? out of the barnfloor, or out of the winepress? 28 And the king said unto her, What aileth thee? And she answered, This woman said unto me, Give thy son, that we may eat him to day, and we will eat my son to morrow. 29 So we boiled my son, and did eat him: and I said unto her on the next day, Give thy son, that we may eat him: and she hath hid her son. 30 And it came to pass, when the king heard the words of the woman, that he rent his clothes; and he passed by upon the wall, and the people looked, and, behold, he had sackcloth within upon his flesh.

2Ki 7:1  Then Elisha said, Hear ye the word of the LORD; Thus saith the LORD, To morrow about this time shall a measure of fine flour be sold for a shekel, and two measures of barley for a shekel, in the gate of Samaria. 2  Then a lord on whose hand the king leaned answered the man of God, and said, Behold, if the LORD would make windows in heaven, might this thing be? And he said, Behold, thou shalt see it with thine eyes, but shalt not eat thereof.

2Ki 7:14 They took therefore two chariot horses; and the king sent after the host of the Syrians, saying, Go and see. 15 And they went after them unto Jordan: and, lo, all the way was full of garments and vessels, which the Syrians had cast away in their haste. And the messengers returned, and told the king. 16 And the people went out, and spoiled the tents of the Syrians. So a measure of fine flour was sold for a shekel, and two measures of barley for a shekel, according to the word of the LORD.

The famine was so much that some women were eating their children. Suddenly God changed everything.

The Syrians that Satan used to cause the problems were the same people that God used to solve the problems. They left their food and properties and ran away.

God can do the same thing today to make your enemies fearful and run away.

God can use your enemies to bless you.

JEHOSHAPHAT

2Ch 20:1 It came to pass after this also, that the children of Moab, and the children of Ammon, and with them other beside the Ammonites, came against Jehoshaphat to battle. 2 Then there came some that told Jehoshaphat, saying, There cometh a great multitude against thee from beyond the sea on this side Syria; and, behold, they be in Hazazontamar, which is Engedi. 3 And Jehoshaphat feared, and set himself to seek the LORD, and proclaimed a fast throughout all Judah. 4 And Judah gathered themselves together, to ask help of the LORD: even out of all the cities of Judah they came to seek the LORD.

2Ch 20:20 And they rose early in the morning, and went forth into the wilderness of Tekoa: and as they went forth, Jehoshaphat stood and said, Hear me, O Judah, and ye inhabitants of Jerusalem; Believe in the LORD your God, so shall ye be established; believe his prophets, so shall ye prosper. 21 And when he had consulted with the people, he appointed singers unto the LORD, and that should praise the beauty of holiness, as they went out before the army, and to say, Praise the LORD; for his mercy endureth for ever. 22 And when they began to sing and to praise, the LORD set ambushments against the children of Ammon, Moab, and mount Seir, which were come against Judah; and they were smitten. 23 For the children of Ammon and Moab stood up against the inhabitants of mount Seir, utterly to slay and destroy them: and when they had made an end of the inhabitants of Seir, every one helped to destroy another. 24 And when Judah came toward the watch tower in the wilderness, they looked unto the multitude, and, behold, they were dead bodies fallen to the earth, and none escaped. 25  And when Jehoshaphat and his people came to take away the spoil of them, they found among them in abundance both riches with the dead bodies, and precious jewels, which they stripped off for themselves, more than they could carry away: and they were three days in gathering of the spoil, it was so much.

Three mighty armies came to fight Judah and Jehoshaphat ran to the Lord.

Whenever problems come run to God.

There is no critical problem that God cannot solve.

The battle they did not fight, they carried the booties for three days. They did not even lose anything yet they gained all things.

God used their enemies to bless them and to bring them out of the bad situations they were in.

Walking by sight the problems were terrible and the solutions became very great and it made them to forget all the problems.

It was the enemies that created the problems and God used them to solve the problems

God has solutions for every situation therefore, learn to trust Him and pray that  He will use the enemies to bless you.

1. Deuteronomy 33:25 Thy shoes shall be iron and brass; and as thy days, so shall thy strength be.

– “Whatever thy trials or difficulties may be, I shall always give thee grace to support thee under and bring thee through them.”

According to thy days – all circumstances and vicissitudes, so shall thy Rest be – while faithful to thy God no evil shall touch thee; thy days shall increase, and thy quiet be lengthened out. This is an unfailing promise of God: “I will keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed upon me, because he trusteth in me;” therefore “trust ye in the Lord forever, for in the Lord Jehovah is everlasting strength;” Isa 26:4.

So shall thy strength be, i.e. thy strength shall not be diminished with thine age, but thou shalt have the rigour of youth even in thine old age; thy tribe shall grow stronger and stronger.

Isaiah 40:29  He giveth power to the faint; and to them that have no might he increaseth strength.

Isaiah 41:10  Fear thou not; for I am with thee: be not dismayed; for I am thy God: I will strengthen thee; yea, I will help thee; yea, I will uphold thee with the right hand of my righteousness.

1 Corinthians 10:13  There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it.

Ephesians 6:10  Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might.

Philippians 4:13  I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me.

2. Deuteronomy 33:27 The eternal God is thy refuge, and underneath are the everlasting arms: and he shall thrust out the enemy from before thee; and shall say, Destroy them.

A Telescope is an instrument that aids in the observation of remote (very far away) objects by collecting electromagnetic radiation (such as visible light).

A Microscope – is an optical instrument used for viewing very small objects, such as mineral samples or animal or plant cells, typically magnified several hundred times.

A Faithiscope – is an optical instrument used for viewing seemly invisible objects. It also has the power to see situations and circumstances.

1. What telescope or microscope cannot see, faithiscope will see.
2. It sees beyond the physical and scientific things.
3. Faithiscope sees the invisible
4. Faithiscope sees what others may not be able to see.

• Moses saw what the others could not see when they were at the Red Sea.
• Israelites moving forward when the Red Sea had not being parted into two.
• Joshua and Caleb saw what other spies could not see.

5. Faithiscope makes you to take steps that can be called strange.

• Peter obeying Jesus to throw the net at a time that you are not likely to get fish.
• The disciples agreed to feed the thousands with the lunch of a boy.
• The lepers going to the High Priest even when they had not seen their healing.

6. Faithiscope makes you to determine to do what others called suicidal or foolishness.

• Jonathan and his armor bearer going to challenge the Philistines
• David fighting Goliath without weapon of war, without armour or experience.

7. Faithiscope makes you to suffer now and enjoy latter.

• Joseph could have slept with madam Potiphar and end years of slavery but suffered and later became the governor of Egypt.
• David could have killed Saul on several occasions but he waited for God and it paid off for him.
• John suffered untold hardship for his faith to the point that he was banished to the Island of Patmos where God gave him the book of Revelation.

Heb 11:1 Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. 2 For by it the elders obtained a good report. 3 Through faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the word of God, so that things which are seen were not made of things which do appear.6 But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.

Romans 10:17 So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.

2 Corinthians 5:7 (For we walk by faith, not by sight 🙂

1. Faith is still the answer to every questions of your heart.
2. Faith is still the answer to the turbulent things that are bombarding us day in day out.
3. Faith makes you to see God
4. Faith makes you to see that sin is a hindrance to your seeing God and had been paid for on the cross of Calvary.
5. Faith makes you to see that the simple way of coming to God is to confess your sins and accept forgiveness in the name of Jesus.
6. Faith makes you to see that givers never lack, that the more you give, the more you receive.
7. Faith makes you to see that a fruitful life is the only life that is spent for God and for the benefits of others.
8. Faith makes you to see that to really enjoy life, you must lose it in Christ.

Torments and oppression are not interesting but majority of us are used to it. We make little or no efforts in eradicating them. We offer little or no resistance to the oppressors and tormentors. Yet, God’s readiness is waiting –

Isa 49:24 Shall the prey be taken from the mighty, or the lawful captive delivered? 25 But thus saith the LORD, Even the captives of the mighty shall be taken away, and the prey of the terrible shall be delivered: for I will contend with him that contendeth with thee, and I will save thy children. 26 And I will feed them that oppress thee with their own flesh; and they shall be drunken with their own blood, as with sweet wine: and all flesh shall know that I the LORD am thy Saviour and thy Redeemer, the mighty One of Jacob.

We are the prey in the hand of the mighty, and the lawful captive. God says we shall be delivered and He will fight with those fighting with us and feed them with their flesh and blood. So, God is ready if we are ready.

Exo 23:22 But if thou shalt indeed obey his voice, and do all that I speak; then I will be an enemy unto thine enemies, and an adversary unto thine adversaries.

God will become an enemy of our enemies and that is what we need now.

WHY DO WE DELAY?

1. We are born into oppression and torment
2. We see many people in such situations
3. We feel it is normal
4. We think that we cannot do anything
5. We feel the tormentors and oppressors are too strong tor us to confront
6. We feel we are powerless and that we do not have the stamina to challenge.
7. We do not know or recognize the provisions of God and His promises
8. We do not know the readiness of God to fight for us.
9. When we pray a little and nothing happens, we are easily discouraged.

PROMISES OF GOD

Isa 49:24  Shall the prey be taken from the mighty, or the lawful captive delivered? 25  But thus saith the LORD, Even the captives of the mighty shall be taken away, and the prey of the terrible shall be delivered: for I will contend with him that contendeth with thee, and I will save thy children. 26  And I will feed them that oppress thee with their own flesh; and they shall be drunken with their own blood, as with sweet wine: and all flesh shall know that I the LORD am thy Saviour and thy Redeemer, the mighty One of Jacob. 

Exodus 23:22  But if thou shalt indeed obey his voice, and do all that I speak; then I will be an enemy unto thine enemies, and an adversary unto thine adversaries.

Genesis 12:3 And I will bless them that bless thee, and curse him that curseth thee: and in thee shall all families of the earth be blessed.

Jeremiah 30:20 Their children also shall be as aforetime, and their congregation shall be established before me, and I will punish all that oppress them.

Zechariah 2:8 For thus saith the LORD of hosts; After the glory hath he sent me unto the nations which spoiled you: for he that toucheth you toucheth the apple of his eye.

ACTIONS NEEDED

1. Be fed-up
2. Be ready to pay the price
3. See your Saviour as big enough
4. Trust and rely on Jesus.

Now is your time to pray and give God the chance to prove Himself great in your life. You have suffered enough, you have been under torture for a long time and Jesus has come to set you free.

Receive Your Freedom Now.