Oswald Chamber’s Says in his book entitled “So send I you”:

“Prayer to us is not practical, it is stupid, and until we do see that prayer is stupid, that is, stupid from the ordinary natural common sense point of view, we will never pray. “It is absurd to think that God is going to alter things in answer to prayer.” But that is what Jesus says He will do.  It sounds stupid, but it is stupidity based on His redemption.  The reason that our prayers are not answered is that we are not stupid enough to believe what Jesus says.”

I must say after reading that I was a bit stunned, but at the same time the lights went on.  Prayer is indeed to the natural mind an empty wasted ritual.  But from an eternal perspective it is the very means that God has given His people to participate with Him in implementing His will on earth.

To think that all of God’s purposes and His will in every arena of life is already done.  He simply waits for someone to release His will here on earth through prayer.  When Jesus taught His disciples how to pray He said “thy kingdom come and thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven.” Prayer is an invitation from the Father to cooperate with His purpose and will by administrating, enforcing and releasing His purpose and will here on earth as it is in heaven.  We’re not trying to get God to do something that he doesn’t really want to do. From His perspective it’s already done in heaven and prayer is the means to release those things here on earth.  His purpose His timing and His provision awaits the saint who on bended knee comes and utters simple words that reach an omnipotent God and releases Him to do in the natural what He has already done in the spiritual.

His part is to do it, and it’s already done in heaven. Our part is to administrate, enforce and release His will here on earth through prayer.  It’s as though He has tied His own hands and cannot move till He finds a people that will simply pray and give Him the vehicle to bridge the gap between the promise and the actual manifestation in the here and now.  Can God do it without us?  Obviously He can, but He has chosen not to. Why? Let’s call it O.J.T. or on the job training for the greatest job ever created.  The position and title waiting to be filled is called, “Ruling and reigning with Christ Jesus from His heavenly position for ever and ever. (See Rev 5.10, Eph 1.4-23 1Peter 2.5-9)

Think of it, prayer is the tool the Father has given us to release His purpose on earth, in our families, and in the hearts of men. Prayer may be drudgery to the flesh but it is the most powerful force on earth. Are you stupid enough to believe it?

May He forever bless and keep you!
Doug