Praying Episodes

Fear has a way of making our problems look bigger than our God. In 2 Kings 6, Elisha and his servant find themselves surrounded by the Syrian army. The servant sees horses, chariots, and soldiers—and assumes they are finished. But Elisha sees something his servant cannot yet see. Elisha responds with a powerful prayer: “Lord, I pray thee, open his eyes, that he may see.” God opens the servant’s eyes, and suddenly he sees the mountain filled with horses and chariots of fire. In Part 4 of When Prayer Changes the Story, we discover that prayer doesn’t always change our circumstances immediately. Sometimes prayer changes our perspective. What looks like defeat may actually be the place where God is preparing to reveal His power.

In Part 2 of When Prayer Changes the Story, we continue looking at the incredible power of prayer through the story of King Hezekiah and the Assyrian threat against Jerusalem. Assyria had conquered powerful nations, and now Jerusalem was surrounded. The message from the enemy was clear: surrender. Don’t trust God. Your situation is hopeless. But Hezekiah did something that changed the direction of the story. He prayed. He took the threatening message before the Lord and cried out to God. And God answered—not merely by giving Hezekiah peace in the middle of the circumstances, but by changing the circumstances themselves. 2 Kings 18–19 reminds us that prayer is not simply a spiritual exercise that helps us cope with life. Prayer is bringing our circumstances before the God who has the power to intervene in them. We may not know how God will answer. We may not know when He will answer. But we can know that God hears His people when they pray.

In 2 Kings 20:1–6, King Hezekiah receives devastating news: his illness will lead to death. He turns his face toward the wall and earnestly prays to God, reminding Him of how he has walked before Him in truth and with a perfect heart. God hears Hezekiah’s prayer and sees his tears. Before Isaiah has even left the palace, God instructs him to return with a message of healing and an additional fifteen years of life. This passage reminds us that when circumstances appear final, God is not finished working. Prayer is not a ritual we perform after everything else has failed. Prayer is an expression of dependence upon the God who hears, sees, and responds according to His will.

Prayer is one of the greatest privileges God has given His people-and Scripture makes it clear that prayer is far more than simply bringing our personal requests before God. In this episode, we examine what the Bible teaches about praying for others, praying for our enemies, praying for the sick, praying for the advancement of the Gospel, and praying for boldness. Prayer changes our perspective, strengthens our faith, supports God’s people and aligns our hearts with God’s purposes. Don’t underestimate what happens when God’s people pray.

There are times when following Jesus is easy—when His promises comfort us, His blessings encourage us, and His presence gives us peace. But what happens when Jesus says something we don’t understand? What happens when His teaching challenges our beliefs, our priorities, or our way of life? In John 6:60–69, many of Jesus’ disciples reach a difficult crossroads. They hear His teaching and say, “This is an hard saying; who can hear it?” Some turn away and walk with Him no more. But Jesus turns to the twelve and asks, “Will ye also go away?” Peter’s response gives us one of the most powerful declarations of faith in Scripture: “Lord, to whom shall we go? thou hast the words of eternal life.” This episode looks at what happens when following Jesus becomes difficult—and why faith means continuing to follow Him even when we don’t understand everything He says. Sometimes the question isn’t whether Jesus’ teaching is difficult. The question is whether we trust the One who is tea…

One thing we see throughout the Gospels is that Jesus took time to be alone with the Father in prayer. Jesus spent countless hours ministering to the people in Israel, but He also always took time for prayer. By spending time in prayer, we not only draw close to God, but we have an understanding of our calling. When was the last time you prayed?

We are told throughout Scripture the importance of prayer. We taught how to pray and how not to pray. But, the question I want to pose to you today is: Do you expect anything out of prayer. In Acts 12, we read about Peter being thrown in prison, and the church praying consistently for him. When Peter shows up at the door, the people praying for him first don’t believe it’s actually him, then are astonished at the sight. Listen to this episode, and take time to look at your prayer life and prayer...

James 4:3, 7-10. Do your prayers often go unanswered? If so, there is a reason for it. Discover why your prayers are going unanswered and how to fix it.

Psalm 139. David concludes this Psalm with a prayer we all need to pray. By understanding that God knows everything about us, that God has known us from the womb, and we cannot escape the presence of God, this prayer becomes more and more important to...

Ephesians 6:18-20. Paul is talking about a part of the Armor of God that many people overlook, or don’t associate with the spiritual armor.

Romans 8:26-27, if you are like me, sometimes I just don’t know how to pray. I don’t know what to pray for. But, as usual, we have good news in the Bible. Listen and discover what to do when you don’t know what to pray.

2 Corinthians 10;3-7. Paul is teaching us about our spiritual weapons that we must use to defeat Satan.

James 4:8, We need to allow Jesus to clean up the dirt, filth and muck of our sins. It needs to be done before we start drying neigh unto God.

1 Kings 19:11-13.

James 1:5-8. One reason our prayers go unanswered is because we are double minded, we are wavering. The Bible says that if we waver in our faith, we should not expect anything from God, and that includes answered prayers. Are you wavering in your...

Mark 2:1-5, 12. The man in our reading today needed healing. He had friends who would stop at nothing to get him to the feet of Jesus, so he could be healed. Are you a friend to someone like that? Are you stopping at nothing to get someone else the...

Colossians 4:2