Important Principles of Prayer

Spending Time in the Upper Room

The upper room represents important principles of prayer. Our upper room is, first of all, a place to be honest in prayer.

“Elijah cried out to the Lord. “O LORD my God, have you brought tragedy also upon this widow I am staying with, by causing her son to die? Then he stretched himself out on the boy three times and cried to the LORD, ‘O LORD my God, let this boy’s life return to him!’ The LORD heard Elijah’s cry, and the boy’s life returned to him, and he lived. Elijah picked up the child and carried him down from the room into the house. He gave him to his mother and said, ‘Look, your son is alive'" (1 Kings 17:20-23).

Let’s talk about the upper room for a minute. For me, the upper room represents important principles of prayer. Our upper room is, first of all, a place to be honest in prayer. As we lay our lifeless situations before God, we cry out to Him. Elijah “cried out to the Lord” (1 Kings 17:20). A great, wrenching cry of grief and sorrow tore him apart. If we are going to pray effectively for the lost, for the spiritually dead, we need to ask a question: Do I care? I mean, really care?

When I first came to Christ, I cared. I really cared. I spent hours on my knees praying for my family. Great heart-wrenching sobs would tear me up as I realized how lost they were without Christ. But ask me now, sixty years later, if I care as much, and I have to be honest and tell you, not always. But I also have to tell you that if I’m honest with God in the upper room and tell Him how cold, how indifferent, how tired of praying I’ve become, He delights to ignite the fire again. But first, I have to be honest.

Ask yourself, What’s the first thing I do in the upper room? Can you hardly wait to climb the stairs to get there and go to work? Is your heart full and are your arms heavy with the weight of the one you are carrying? Do you cry out, or merely whimper? Whimpering will not do it! 

Ask the Lord to make the great cry of Elijah to be born in your heart. Establish a place, take the time, and make the effort to climb up to God to do the work of prayer. Who knows how many lives will be changed because of your prayers in the upper room?

PRAYER

Lord, give me creative ways to get Your Word out to those in my life who need it. I want to be known as someone who encourages others and builds them up. Remind me to use Your Word as I do that. Show me today who needs some encouragement. Make me sensitive to the leading of Your Spirit and help me to follow through with sending card, text, or email. Amen. 

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