And I Prayed

Deuteronomy 9:18
“And I fell down before the LORD, as at the first, forty days and forty nights: I did neither eat bread, nor drink water, because of all your sins which ye sinned, in doing wickedly in the sight of the LORD, to provoke him to anger.”

Moses is one of the greatest prayer warriors in the Scriptures, if not the greatest prayer warrior. There was a reason that Moses was used mightily by the LORD, and that reason is because he spent days with the LORD in prayer. While many spend minutes in prayer with the LORD, Moses spent hours with the LORD in prayer. The reason Moses was the greatest leader in the Scriptures was because he stayed and prayed while others stayed and played. While Aaron and the other leaders stayed and played in the valley, you will find Moses on the top of Sinai praying and receiving the commandments of God.

Several statements show the prayer life of Moses. It says in verse 18, “And I fell down before the LORD…” It says in verse 20, “…and I prayed for Aaron…” It says in verse 25, “Thus I fell down before the LORD…” Verse 26 says, “I prayed…” Moses said in Deuteronomy 10:10, “And I stayed in the mount…” What did he stay in the mount to do? He stayed in the mount to pray. The reason God hearkened to Moses’ voice was because he stayed and prayed.

There is no doubt in my mind that Moses was such a great leader because he prayed. He wasn’t a great leader because of his speaking ability, because the Scriptures teach that he wasn’t a great speaker. Moses wasn’t a great leader because of a strong personality because the Scriptures teach that he was a meek man. Yes, he could speak, and he did exhibit power in leadership, but God used him to the extent that he was used because he knew the importance of praying.

The ability for God to use you will be determined by how much you pray. Many people limit what God does through them because they spend so little time with God in prayer. You can’t expect the power of God that comes through prayer to work through you with a few minutes in prayer every week. My friend, you are going to have to realize that you can’t run with the crowd and spend time alone with God in prayer at the same time. Just like Moses, you are going to have to get alone in your Sinai and spend time with God before He hearkens to your voice.

Moreover, there are times when you are going to have to stay and pray. Moses said, “And I stayed…” There are times when you are going to have to spend seasons in prayer. Nothing causes Hell to shake more than when the believer decides to stay and pray. Hell knows that when the believer stays to pray that the great works of God are about to be done. It was the early church who stayed in the upper room to pray before the place was shaken with God’s power. It was Paul and Silas who prayed at midnight that led to the foundations of the prison being shaken. God always shakes the person or church who decides to stay and pray.

Let me ask you, when is the last time the LORD hearkened to your voice? Prayer is the only thing that is going to shake up your city for Christ. Prayer is the only hope of a nation being saved from God’s judgment. Yes, you must work hard for God to do mighty works through you, but if you want God to go beyond the average and do great works through you and your ministry, you are going to have to stay and pray for Him to do those mighty works.

Author: Allen Domelle