“For thus the Lord GOD, the Holy One of Israel, has said, ‘In repentance and rest you will be saved, In quietness and trust is your strength.’”
—Isaiah 30:15

Reflection

Beloved, prayer is a mighty force to be reckoned with.

When one of my daughters was away in college, my wife and I went to visit her. We went out to dinner together, and I could tell something was bothering her. So I asked her if she was okay.

Her response was disturbing to me. She was afraid that something bad was going to happen to me, that I was going to die that day. This was a real fear for her, and I knew it was coming from the enemy because it was a feeling of dread and gloom.

I said, Honey, let’s pray.

We joined our hands together, and I prayed. I asked Father to fill her with His love and remove this fear from her. In Jesus’ name, I took a stand against the enemy and took authority over the spirit of fear. We asked Father for His love and protection.

Yeshua broke the power of fear. This is how my wife and I always dealt with fear that attacked our daughters.

But prayer is more than taking a stand against the enemy or bringing our needs before Father. God longs to have deep and intimate fellowship with us.

There are so many voices crying for our attention in the world today. We need to be able to distinguish His voice from the others. Prayer is not just a one-way monologue in which we list our needs. Instead, it should be a dialogue with God. Talking and listening.

How do we learn to dialogue with God?

First, we must still our heart and mind. We do this by becoming quiet before the Lord and trying to rid our environment of anything that might distract us. Isaiah wrote that in quietness and trust is our strength (Isaiah 30:15).

Quietness before the Lord causes us to gain strength for the warfare that we must wage in our lives. It brings confidence to our hearts. This is why the psalmist reminds us, “Cease striving and know that I am God” (Psalm 46:10).

Second, we need cleansing from sin. Scripture tells us that if we walk in the light, the blood of Jesus cleanses us from all sin. And if we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us and cleanse us from all unrighteousness (1 John 1:6–9).

In order to have dialogue with God, we have to confess our sins to Him on a regular basis. We cannot let sin reign in our hearts. We still sin at times, but we must come before Him confessing our sin in order to restore our fellowship.

Beloved, Father wants fellowship with you. As you come before Him in prayer, be still, listen, and keep your heart open.

Application

• Set aside time to become quiet before the Lord, removing distractions so you can listen as well as speak.
• Examine your heart before Father. Confess any sin that is hindering your fellowship with Him, and trust His promise to forgive and cleanse you.

Prayer

Abba Father, thank You for the power of prayer and for inviting me into deep and intimate fellowship with You. Teach me to quiet my heart and mind so I can distinguish Your voice from all the others crying for my attention. Cleanse me from anything that hinders my fellowship with You. Strengthen me to stand against fear and to trust in Your love and protection. I declare that I will walk with You each step of the way. In Yeshua’s name, amen.