Today’s Key Scripture

“The Lord is far from the wicked, but He hears the prayer of the righteous.”

— Proverbs 15:29

Over the years I’ve preached many times for my dear friend, the late Dr. David Yonggi Cho, pastor of Yoido Full Gospel Church in Seoul, South Korea. It is the world’s largest church, with a membership of one million and multiple services throughout the week.

In many churches around the world, it is common practice for the members to find a seat, then talk with their friends for a few moments before the service begins. Not there. Almost immediately, each person who enters finds their place quickly and begins praying fervently. It is literally a symphony of prayer.

Not too far away is Prayer Mountain, a retreat center built by Dr. Cho’s church. The mountain is near the Demilitarized Zone along the country’s border with North Korea. Each year hundreds of thousands of people make the journey to that special place. It has facilities for 10,000 prayer warriors at one time.

What a sight, to see people prostrate on their faces before God.

Is there any doubt as to the secret of this church’s effectiveness? Their people have been awakened to the power of prayer.

I pray that God would help us overcome the plague of prayerlessness and usher us into a new day of fervent prayer.

 

A Prayer for Today

Dear Lord, I’ll openly admit that there is so little I understand about prayer. How many times have I prayed for something specific. I can understand when the request isn’t answered the way I want or when I want. But I tend to forget that my time is not Your time. It sometimes seems like an eternity while waiting for the answer I desire. Help me remember that I must persist in prayer, even as my faith grows and becomes strengthened in the process. Help me trust that You are working on my behalf and that when the answer comes, it will always be the right time. I pray this in the matchless name of Jesus, amen.

 

*All Scripture references are NKJV unless otherwise noted.