“The voice of one crying in the wilderness. Prepare the way of the Lord, make straight in the desert a highway for our God.” -Isaiah 40:3
According to the prophet Isaiah…prayer goes before any work of God and prepares the way. Through prayer, we release the power of God to go out in advance to make “…the crooked places straight and the rough places smooth.” Isaiah 40:4
The Apostle Paul understood the importance of our prayers. He wrote in Colossians 4:3 (Amp) encouraging other believers to join him… “Be praying for us, that God would open to us a door for the word”. We know those prayers were answered because in 1 Corinthians 16:9 (TLB), Paul wrote about “a wide open door” that opened for him to preach and teach in Ephesus.
Do you know what’s interesting about Paul’s wide open door in Ephesus? It took a while for him to get it! According to the book of Acts, when Paul first wanted to go there and preach, he couldn’t. God stopped him. He and his fellow ministers… were forbidden by the Holy Spirit to preach the word in Asia.
“Next they (Paul & Silas) traveled through Phrygia and Galatia, because the Holy Spirit had told them not to go into the Turkish province of Asia at that time”. -Acts 16:6 (TLB)
Can you imagine that? Can you believe God would tell a preacher not to take the Gospel (the Good News) to people who have never heard it? It is hard to believe that God would do such a thing! Yet He did because “the way” hadn’t yet been prepared for Paul to minister to those people. Those people at Ephesus were not ready to receive the Gospel.
Paul knew what we all need to learn. If we get ahead of God and go into places before His Spirit has prepared the way through prayer, we won’t be productive. This is true for every area of our life! Apply Paul’s example to your life and pray before branching out into ministry opportunities.
“In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths.” -Proverbs 3:6 KJV
Just like Paul you can recognize the timing of God. Pray before making any major decisions, thus preparing the “way” regarding your situation. Listen for the guidance of the Holy Spirit and obey. When you prepare the way God has for you through prayer and obedience, you will experience victory.
When the disciples asked Jesus to teach them to pray, He responded with what is known as the “Lord’s Prayer.” In the future I intend to do some in-depth articles about the Lord’s Prayer, but suffice it to say that EVERYTHING you will ever need is included in that prayer. There is no better prayer example to follow than that of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ! Read Luke 11:2-4.
