11th January 2014

Pastor Muyiwa Olubowale

Prayer that gets results - part 1
(The prayer of Jabez)
As Christians, we need to understand that God hears all prayers. There are different types of
prayer and we need to understand the difference.
Jabez was more honorable than his brothers; and his mother called his name Jabez, saying,
Because I bore him in pain. Jabez called upon the God of Israel, saying, Oh that you would bless
me and enlarge my border, and that your hand might be with me, and that you would keep me from
harm so that it might not bring me pain! And God granted what he asked.
1 Chron 4:9 - 10 (ESV)
Jabez called on the God of Israel and asked that he would be spared from pain. This was despite
the fact that he was named after the pain in which he was borne.
1. we need to understand prayer,
2. we need to develop prayer
3. we need to develop a rhythm of prayer
How to we pray?
Whatever you ask in my name, this I will do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son (John
14:13, ESV)
We pray to the Father. Who is the father? - He is the God of Israel.
We pray to the father in the name of the Son.
In that day you will ask nothing of me. Truly, truly, I say to you, whatever you ask of the Father in
my name, he will give it to you. Until now you have asked nothing in my name. Ask, and you will
receive, that your joy may be full (John 16:23, ESV)
Our prayers are as a result of our relationship with the father. One of the reasons why people
struggle with praying is because we fail to see God as a father. (Isa 9:6)
Luke 6:12, Acts 10:38
A father is someone who has parental responsibility over us and whose responsibility it is to
provide shelter, food etc. Every father has a soft pot for their child. Some people struggle to go to
the father because they are not maintaining their relationship with him. We maintain our fellowship
with the Father by worshipping him. (John 4:2)
prayers should be an outpouring of our heart. If we pray superficially, we will struggle. The Father
sees the heart and he is not impressed by the superficial motions of prayer. Therefore, if our
prayers are to get results, they must come for the heart. If our hearts are not consistent with the
prayer we pray then we miss the point. For example, when we say prayers but deep down in our
heart do not believe in Gods ability to answer, we loose out.
See the story of Hannah in 1Sam 1:12-15.Hannah was praying sincere prayer where she poured
out her heart to God. She was honest. We need to be honest when we pray to God. If we are tired,
we need to tell him. If we are fed up or feel deserted, we need to be honest in that and not cover it
up in flower prayer motions. Prayers are answered when they come out of a need.

- We must have a need for God. Every aspect our life must demonstrate that we need God.
- and we must have needs that we need God to address.
Again I say to you, if two of you agree on earth about anything they ask, it will be done for them by
my Father in heaven
(Mat 18:19 , ESV)