Prayer: the crucible for destiny formation

Coming from a background in the sciences, I had the privilege of seeing reactions created in the laboratory. This was the soul of chemistry. They were not things we could explain actually; we were simply taught reactants and reagents and the reactions they created, as well as substances that could be added to control the speed and direction of the reaction.

The fun in this was right in the laboratory with the technician. We did pretty much observation while he, dressed in the laboratory apparel, stood over the entire set-up, mixing reagents conscientiously in certain apparatus to create the desired reaction.

Of the many glassware used in the laboratory, the crucible stands tall. By design, it can withstand very high temperatures; hence it is ideal for extremely hot chemical reactions as well as corrosive and pigmentation processes.

Now, when I think of prayer and its effect on human life, this laboratory scene comes to mind.

Indeed, every human life birthed on earth is delivered with a specific mission to be unraveled along the line. So the process begins: a baby is born into a specific family, and he is groomed into adulthood. All the while, he is living out a script written before he was born. Painfully, some never discover it; but it was there all the time.

Instead of living life to chance, there are ways it can be found. One of which is in the place of prayer.

Similar to the chemistry laboratory, a lot of life reactions take place in the place of prayer. It is a place of interaction of forces: word encounters, challenges, relationships, testimonies, in some elimination, addition, substitution and combustion reactions to produce a life of purpose. It is a sure way to mould a life to SHAPE, with the technician involved being a master of every human life.

Truly, there is no life beyond reach if someone will pay the price. Forever that we will prepare our lives from the place of prayer, we will have strength, guidance, and comfort; we will not be disappointed at the outcome.

So, for any young chap reading this, you do not ever need to be agitated by your experiences or those of others. For every time you pay the price of prayer, you have made an investment into destiny. Investments are sure to yield dividends as long as the seeds are sown.

It doesn’t matter the time it takes to see the dividends. Starting early is always a good admonition in investment. Yet, whenever you awake to this truth is a good time to start.  As you begin to make your prayer investments in timeless immeasurably amounts, God is faithful; you will not be denied the dividends.

HOW TO PRAY

Now, If you stand in the place of prayer and you are not sure what to do and how to say what you should say, here is a little guide that can help;

1. Start with worship.

Worship is always a good place to start. And it does not need to be complicated.

Worship can be in the lines of a song or just with words in proclamation but essentially it is keeping focus on something and magnifying it until it becomes big enough that it consumes the entirety of your being.

In this sense, worship is fixating on God and magnifying Him. It is great because prayer is about communication. And you need to see the person on the other end to effectively communicate with Him. Worship helps you see God. And it can be done with praise and thanksgiving;

You magnify a side of God you have seen: provider, healer, creator, helper, teacher…whatever it is that God has been to you or you have heard in testimonies. In this place, you can recount your testimonies and keep thanking Him for them all over. It is always a great place to start, and it should take the bulk of your prayer time – ‘top secret‘.

Sometimes, if you worship long enough, you may not need to pray as God will speak and give you answers to the things you would have prayed about. Otherwise, He would start putting the specific prayer points in your heart and mouth; you may not need to use a structured prayer guideline as you planned.

You can do this in tongues as well – worship. And if it helps, create an artificial environment that helps you enter into worship with your spirit by playing spirit-filled worship songs.

2. Present your request.

In whatever ways: intercession, petition, warfare, whatever it is you want. To help understand these clearly, get a copy of our prayer guideline and observe the prayer points under the different categories. They are not all the same.

Intercession is usually on behalf of another. Supplication is personal. Warfare is against opposing forces to our lives and destinies. Pay attention to the pattern of each and follow accordingly.

Howbeit, whether you are using the prayer guideline or not, it is very necessary to pray along the lines of scripture, and in the name of Jesus.

Along the lines of scripture because He says,

“Produce your cause, saith the LORD; bring forth your strong reasons, saith the King of Jacob” – Isaiah 41:21.

Your strong reason is His Word. You are placing your request on the basis of his word.

Then, prayers are delivered in the name of Jesus because it is written:

“Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved.” – Acts 4:12.

“And whatsoever ye shall ask in my name, that will I do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son.” – John 14:13.

“If ye shall ask anything in my name, I will do it.” – John 14:14.

Understand that the kingdom of God operates by laws and order. As such, it is good to study and know the scriptures because that is what will make your prayers effective. It does not work by crying or using plenty words. It is in knowing the scriptures and following the order with understanding, as in a law court.

However, this is where worship is an aid: you may not know all the scriptures you need to war in prayers. But when you worship more, the Holy Spirit becomes your ally, giving you specifics on what to say before you may ever find them in the Scripture.

3. Give thanks.

This is the climax of prayer – worship again. Give thanks in faith. Give thanks for all He has done. Give thanks again and again. Give thanks some more. You can dance in praise and give Him thanks. You could never worship him enough. You can only worship Him some more, so give thanks.

4. Act in faith.

Acting in faith means you are not going to worry about that situation anymore. Whenever the thoughts come, instead of meditating on it and allowing the devil to present God as a liar, shut it all out by giving thanks, and that loudly, because it is done. So you must keep declaring your testimony vocally.

It may take some time after prayer to see the manifestation of our desires. But the attitude after prayer must be continuous thanksgivings again and again. Begin to visualize your testimony and judge God faithful. Truly He is faithful; he will not become a liar because of you.

Part of acting in faith is searching to know if there is something you should be doing as you wait for your testimony to manifest; taking a course, skill acquisition, investments, sowing a seed, taking certain steps. You can know this by simply asking in faith;

“Lord, open my eyes to see what I can do now in preparation for my testimony: show me what steps to take, in Jesus name!”

Then observe the guidance you would receive afterward.

I am excited as I share these because I know God is eager to move in the body of believers on the earth. But you must permit Him to move in your life. And this you do, once and again. So get started praying and birthing God’s plan for you.

I anticipate your testimony. Feel free to share in the comment section below.