Title: The power of earnest prayer
Contents
Prayer in Mark's Upper Room >
The Mount of Olives, where Jesus ascended to heaven, was “a suitable distance for the Sabbath” from Jerusalem (verse 12). After studying the distance that Jewish scribes could walk on the Sabbath, the 'distance suitable for the Sabbath day' was thought to be a distance suitable for a Sabbath day without becoming a sin if it was about a distance around the temple in Jerusalem. Two thousand cubits (900 meters). After all, it means that the distance from the city of Jerusalem to the Mount of Olives was less than a kilometer.
Then the disciples returned to Jerusalem from the Mount of Olives and went up to the upper room where they were staying (verse 13). Except for Judas Iscariot, all 11 disciples of Jesus were gathered in the upper room, and Jesus' mother and brothers were also there. The fact that even his brothers believed in him shows more clearly the divinity of Jesus. Because it is almost impossible for the younger brothers to have the older brother as their object of faith without clear conviction. The truest faith is one that is accepted by the family.
Mark's upper room was a place where memories of great grace were kept. There Jesus shared the Passover supper (Mark 14). The disciples met the resurrected Jesus (John 20). Then the resurrected Lord came to the disciples and said, “Peace be with you!” And he exhaled and spoke. “Receive the Holy Spirit!” The disciples could not forget the words and scenes of that time. Remembering that scene, they prayed fervently and earnestly. That earnest prayer became the starting point of blessing. The secret of powerful prayer lies in ‘desperation’.
< Pray earnestly >
One day, a young man came to a lawyer and asked him to teach him the secret of powerful prayer. The lawyer led the young man to the river, and without saying anything, he plunged the young man's head into the water and crushed it. After doing so for a while, he pulled his neck out of the water and asked. "youth! What did you most want just before?” The young man answered. “It’s air.” Then the lawyer said, “That’s it. Please pray earnestly with the heart that you longed for air a while ago. Then it will become a powerful prayer.”
When you pray, pray earnestly above all else. In Luke 11:8 the Lord said: “Though he will not rise up to give because of his friendship, he will rise up and give him whatever he needs because of his strength.” God works when we pray earnestly with all our hearts, minds, minds, and souls together with sincerity, earnestness, and patience.
A long time ago, in Seodaemun, Seoul, there was an old lady who was very religious. Every morning, she went to church to pray earnestly for the blessing of her children. God answered that prayer, so all the children went well. That one person became the president of Chong Kun Dang Pharmaceutical. Knowing that he had succeeded through his mother's earnest morning prayer, he thought about how to reflect his mother's grace to the company, and then the church servant came to mind. So, it is said that the company logo was made into a bell.
Prayer is the secret weapon of blessing that saints have. God always gives us the heart to pray before giving us great blessings. Prayer is the small nerve that moves the arm of Almighty God. Don't stop praying. To stop praying is to stop breathing in the soul. The Bible says, “Pray without ceasing!” (1 Thessalonians 5:17). There are two lives. One is 'a life of prayer without ceasing,' and the other is a 'life without ceasing prayer'. If you stop without prayer, you cannot receive blessings. On the other hand, if you pray without stopping, the work of blessing will surely unfold.