Feb 04 – Be Strengthened!

“I will love You, O Lord, my strength. The Lord is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer; my God, my strength, in whom I will trust; my shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold.” (Psalm 18:1–2)

Personal prayer is absolutely essential if we are to receive power, strength, and spiritual vitality in our inner being. The more we wait in the presence of God, the more we will walk in strength and divine power.

Even today, many people think that if they go to a gifted servant of God and receive the laying on of hands, divine power will immediately descend upon them and the gifts of the Spirit will be imparted. There is nothing wrong with praying in this manner.

When the apostle Paul laid hands on people, many received the anointing. The Bible says: “And when Paul had laid hands on them, the Holy Spirit came upon them, and they spoke with tongues and prophesied.” (Acts 19:6)

However, to retain the power and strength that we receive, personal prayer is absolutely necessary. Look at the lives of the saints. You will see that they withdrew into solitude, communed with God, wrestled in prayer, and received divine strength and power.

Martin Luther once said, “If I fail to spend two hours in prayer in the presence of God early in the morning, Satan gains victory over me that day.”

Read about the life of John Wesley. He would rise at four o’clock in the morning for personal prayer. He spent two hours in prayer and meditation on the Word. A devout man of God named Charles Simeon had the habit of praying every day from four in the morning until eight o’clock.

You may have heard of John Knox. When he knelt in prayer, the whole nation of Scotland trembled. Mary, the queen who ruled with tyranny, feared that some great calamity might come upon her because of the praying warrior John Knox, and therefore opposed him. Speaking about this, John Knox once said, “Why should I fear a queen of this world, when I stand for four hours every day, before the King of kings?”

Children of God, if you hold on to early morning prayer, the power of the Holy Spirit—the strength from on high—will continually fill you. You will go from strength to strength, from power to power, and you will rise and shine for the Lord.

Verse for further meditation: “As they pass through the Valley of Baca, they make it a spring; the rain also covers it with pools. They go from strength to strength; each one appears before God in Zion.” (Psalm 84:6–7)