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Prayers That Move Things from Refreshing Hope Ministries on Vimeo.

When David and his men returned home, they found their village of Ziklag burned to the ground. All their families and belongings had been taken away by the Amalekites in a raid while they were gone. They wept until they could weep no more. Some of the men spoke of stoning David to death. It was a dark day, and things were looking hopeless.

(1 Samuel 30:3–8 NASB)  When David and his men came to the city, behold, it was burned with fire, and their wives and their sons and their daughters had been taken captive. Then David and the people who were with him lifted their voices and wept until there was no strength in them to weep.

Now David’s two wives had been taken captive, Ahinoam the Jezreelitess and Abigail the widow of Nabal the Carmelite. Moreover David was greatly distressed because the people spoke of stoning him, for all the people were embittered, each one because of his sons and his daughters. But David strengthened himself in the LORD his God.

Then David said to Abiathar the priest, the son of Ahimelech, “Please bring me the ephod.” So Abiathar brought the ephod to David. David inquired of the LORD, saying, “Shall I pursue this band? Shall I overtake them?” And He said to him, “Pursue, for you will surely overtake them, and you will surely rescue all.”

When David had no one else to turn to, when even those around him talked of stoning him, he strengthened himself in the Lord his God. Then David prayed and asked God, "Should I go after them?" And the Lord basically told him, "Yes. For you will recover all." So David and his men took that word and ran with it. They went to the enemy's camp and recovered all.

Prayers are heard. Prayer moves things. Prayer brings answers. If David would have wallowed in self-pity and dismissed prayer during his dark hour, then he may have been stoned to death. The others were watching him to see what he would do in this crisis. So David told them, "Let's go get it back," and they recovered all within seventy-two hours.

Don't give up hope. Keep praying. For prayers are heard, and they move things, especially during our darkest times. Consider Peter and John when they healed the crippled man at the temple gate called Beautiful and were then arrested and questioned by the chief priests. The council could not figure out a way to punish them for doing something good, so they threatened them and let them go. Peter and John went back to the other disciples, and they all prayed this together:

(Acts 4:29–31 NKJV)  Now, Lord, look on their threats, and grant to Your servants that with all boldness they may speak Your word, by stretching out Your hand to heal, and that signs and wonders may be done through the name of Your holy Servant Jesus.” And when they had prayed, the place where they were assembled together was shaken; and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit, and they spoke the word of God with boldness.

I love this verse. The place where they prayed was shaken. When times become difficult, the temptation is to whine and crumble under the pressure. But all the ones who overcame in Scripture turned to prayer instead. They prayed, and good things happened. This is just as Jesus said it would be:

(Luke 18:1 NASB)  Now He was telling them a parable to show that at all times they ought to pray and not to lose heart...

Pray and not lose heart...Yet, too many times, I do the opposite. Let's cover a few more people who chose to pray instead of curling up in a ball. When Sennacherib (Pronounced: Sa-nak-a-rib) and his army surrounded Jerusalem after capturing all the nearby cities, Hezekiah and Isaiah prayed this together:

(2 Chronicles 32:20–22 NASB)  But King Hezekiah and Isaiah the prophet, the son of Amoz, prayed about this and cried out to heaven. And the LORD sent an angel who destroyed every mighty warrior, commander and officer in the camp of the king of Assyria. So he returned in shame to his own land. And when he had entered the temple of his god, some of his own children killed him there with the sword. So the LORD saved Hezekiah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem from the hand of Sennacherib the king of Assyria and from the hand of all others, and guided them on every side.

They were threatened by an overwhelming enemy, but they prayed, and the Lord changed their circumstances. Their city was safe. This is how it has always been. The people of God depend on Him. They need His help.

Great things happen when we pray. Daniel was praying and fasting about the exile of his people from their homeland when the angel Gabriel appeared to him, bringing him insight and understanding into what was coming:

(Daniel 9:20–22 NASB)  Now while I was speaking and praying, and confessing my sin and the sin of my people Israel, and presenting my supplication before the LORD my God in behalf of the holy mountain of my God, while I was still speaking in prayer, then the man Gabriel, whom I had seen in the vision previously, came to me in my extreme weariness about the time of the evening offering. He gave me instruction and talked with me and said, “O Daniel, I have now come forth to give you insight with understanding.

 Conflict: The Lord is bringing prayers back to His people that will shake the world. Yet, they will be inspired by needs, darkness, and fears that nearly equal them. David, Hezekiah, Isaiah, Daniel, Peter, and John all prayed because they were desperate people who needed the Lord's help during their time. They watched God move in power. He is more than enough, but His people still have to pray.

(1 Peter 2:9–10 NKJV)  But you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, His own special people, that you may proclaim the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light;

You can pray this with me if you like:

Prayer: Heavenly Father, please stir my heart and give me the words to pray. I want to be a part of what You are doing on the Earth. Help me understand and rightly divide Your word of truth. In the name of Jesus Christ, I pray. Amen!