If our prayers are not about some mundane things, they are about a perceived enemy of our father’s house. We have completely lost focus and lost grasp of what it means to be in the kingdom. More importantly, we have lost the meaning of true communion with God.
That is the essence of this book by our brother, Yinka Oludele. Reading through the compendium which is primarily a prayer dossier, one is reminded of the lost ground of the church and the need to bring the church back to its knees in humble penitent prayers.
One of the most interesting encounters of Jesus recorded in the Bible was his encounter with Blind Bartimaeus in Mark 10:46-52.
Bartimaeus had cried on top of his voice when he heard Jesus was passing by. Against all odds and pressure of the crowd, he went to meet Jesus when he was invited and was right before him.
He was blind. It was obvious he was blind. And yet, Jesus asked him, what do you want me to do for you? That seems a rhetorical question. How could Jesus be asking such question from an obviously blind man?
Bartimaeuos did not feel offended. Rather he said to him “that I may see”. He wanted his sight. His sight was strategic to living and he knew without his sight he would not have been able to do anything meaningful in life.
But then, it is easy for us to conclude that physical sight of the man is what the issue is. Of course that is what he wanted. It could also be deduced that Blind Bartimaeus’ story is a metaphor of the blind state of the church which needed to be opened. Bartimaeus is symbolic of the Church that is groping in the dark that needed to see.
This is because physical blindness has not stopped God from working in the lives of people. There are stories of people who are visually impaired yet carry out great things in the kingdom. The story of Fanny Crosby who wrote the hymn: Blessed Assurance and about 8000 other hymns while she was alive is an outstanding example that God can use anybody irrespective of physical disability.
She was born blind and died a blind woman at the age of 94. She was quoted as saying “spiritual blindness is the most tragic thing that can happen to any man”. Her physical condition did not stand in her way while on earth because she had spiritual sight.
Today, the church of God is suffering from spiritual blindness in some areas. One of the areas that we should prayerfully ask God to open our eyes is the area of prayer. Many perhaps, are so carried away with the pressure of the world that we have allowed situations and circumstances to dictate our relationship with Jesus.
We perhaps have lost so much touch with the plans and purpose of God that our prayers have become incoherent, flowing in the direction of our fleshly desires. Our prayers dwell more on the mundane and the sensual. Churches gather to pray for visa and all kinds of worldly and ephemeral things. Some gather to pray that their enemies would die. Some pray that they will have a better life here on earth. It’s always about self.
If our prayers are not about some mundane things, they are about a perceived enemy of our father’s house. We have completely lost focus and lost grasp of what it means to be in the kingdom. More importantly, we have lost the meaning of true communion with God.
That is the essence of this book by our brother, Yinka Oludele. Reading through the compendium which is primarily a prayer dossier, one is reminded of the lost ground of the church and the need to bring the church back to its knees in humble penitent prayers.
Oludele has helped to simplify the knotty issues of what to pray for. Rather than dwell on material things in the place of prayers; we are presented with kingdom focused prayer points. If these prayer points are explored in the place of prayer by believers we are no doubt going to experience unprecedented transformation of the church and indeed the environment we find ourselves.
I will like that we prayerfully consider the prayers in this collection and use them in our devotion while also relying on the Holy Spirit to give us deeper insight on what to pray for and how to pray. The Bible makes us to understand that we know not what to pray for but the spirit of God makes intercession for us with groaning that cannot be explained.
May the Lord continually give us unction in the place of prayer. (Amen)
Gbenga Osinaike
Publisher, Church Times Nigeria
