Jesus said to her, “Did I not say to you that if you believe, you will see the glory of God?” So they removed the stone. And Jesus raised His eyes, and said, “Father, I thank You that You have heard Me. But I knew that You always hear Me; nevertheless, because of the people standing around I said it, so that they may believe that You sent Me.” And when He had said these things, He cried out with a loud voice, “Lazarus, come out!” Out came the man who had died, bound hand and foot with wrappings, and his face was wrapped around with a cloth. Jesus said to them, “Unbind him, and let him go.” John 11:40-44.
And this is eternal life, that they may know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent. John 17:3.
Today your LORD (יהוה) God says:
You hear people telling you about how to get your prayers answered, praying effective prayers, how to obtain healing, and many more teachings, and these are good, but really that is not the ultimate goal you should be focused on in coming to Me. I will show you a better way to have all those things you seek that is direct and simple, a new and living way.
The real issue is not achieving answered prayer because that will flow from the one thing necessary that I now reveal to you—the key to all the rest is to know Me as I know you. Knowing Me is the answer to all and true prayer. Jesus told you that eternal life is to know Me, the one true God, and the one I sent, Jesus Christ, and why I sent Him, what I do for you in Him, and who I am to you.
The real door to answered prayer is a relationship of trust and love where each knows the other and remains in that relationship no matter what may come because we each know the one in whom we have believed.
Jesus explained why He never veered from the relationship He had with Me—He knew Me and we are one. He prayed that you too would know Me and know Him and be one with us.
And when Jesus prayed, awesome things happened. Not because His prayers were the “three steps to successful prayer,” but because He knew Me and what I was about. Not a slave but a friend because He knew what I was about. I called Abraham My friend. Why? Because I made known to him all I was about to do and he interceded and partnered with Me in it. I even preached the Gospel to him ahead of time and he saw the day of Jesus and rejoiced.
If you remain in My Word and My Word remains in you, ask what you want and it will be done. Prayer is about discussing things with Me according to My Word, which is Me. I am My Word. Jesus is My Word. All things were made by My Word.
Effective prayer comes from an effective relationship.
Moses and I talked things over. I told him what I wanted to do and what I would do and he would tell Me what he wanted done. Why? Because he knew Me. He knew My Name and My ways. He knew I was gracious, merciful, slow to anger, of great lovingkindness and truth, but he also knew My tremendous power that could part seas and devastate armies and bring about justice for an afflicted people. But ultimately once he had My input, he went with that because he had learned it brought great reward and the best result. But that came from the relationship that had developed. He found Me trustworthy. He knew what I was about. To bless and not to curse, to give life and not death, to provide abundance and never withhold from My people when they called on Me in truth.
Prayer is not getting Me to do something, it is knowing I will do something good for you when you ask. It is knowing who I am and what I do and praying accordingly. Jesus knew I am a healer and My Will is to heal so He acted in line with this and prayed in line with that.
When you come to the point where you know Me—My nature and My ways—you pray with confidence that I have heard you and answered and I am taking care of your need. I know what you need before you ask Me but your asking Me to fill that need gives Me the authority to release it in ever greater measure and to tell you what to do to obtain it. Like when Moses inquired of Me at the Red Sea and I told him I would part the sea if he would lift up his staff and stretch out his hand over the seas and divide it. Exodus 14:16.
Fear is useless, just believe and it will turn out in a good result. If you know Me you will not fear. Perfect love casts out fear. And you will find I am perfect love.
If you know Me, in times of trouble, for Jesus warned you they will come in this world, you can sing with the Psalmist, “God is our refuge and strength, a very ready help in trouble. Therefore we will not fear, though the earth shakes and the mountains slip into the heart of the sea; though its waters roar and foam, though the mountains quake at its swelling pride.” Psalm 46:1-3. And with David, “The LORD is my light and my salvation; whom should I fear? The LORD is my refuge and my fortress and the defense of my life; whom should I dread? When evildoers came upon me to devour my flesh, my adversaries and my enemies, they stumbled and fell. If an army encamps against me, my heart will not fear. If war arises against me, in spite of this I am confident.” Psalm 27:1-3. Elisha looked out his window and saw an entire army encamped against him but he had no fear. He knew Me and I opened his eyes of faith to see My angelic host encamped around the enemy ready to protect him. He knew I had him covered. Just as I do all who believe in My Name. I set My angels to watch over you and deliver you.
Jesus knew I heard Him. He prayed that way. You heard Him at the tomb of Lazarus. “Father, I thank You that You have heard Me. I know that you always hear Me.” John 11:41-42. And look back in that chapter, when had I heard Him? Look at what He told Martha as she pleaded for her brother, “Your brother will rise again.” John 11:23. And look even earlier, when Jesus was first informed Lazarus was sick. Jesus replied that the sickness would not end in death but would instead result in My glory manifesting. John 11:4. And Jesus did not rush off the minute Martha and Mary called Him to come. He first finished up the assignment He was on and then at My prompting went to Lazarus. But He felt the pain of what was taking place. He wept. He went through all that you go through, but He took hold of the power that I had put in Him by My Spirit and did what He knew was My way and My Will. Life. Resurrection life.
And let Me stop here for a moment and speak about prayer in this light. The story of Lazarus is a story of prayer. Prayer ultimately is a release of resurrection power into the earth through you who have connected with Me. After Jesus had prayed to Me according to My Will, He released My power, just as Moses had done, despite Martha’s objection to rolling back the stone, He called out in a loud voice, “Lazarus, come forth!” John 11:43. And he did. In prayer, the power was received and released. And Jesus had answered Martha’s focus on the earthly constraints in this way, “Did I not say to you that if you believe, you will see the glory of God!” John 11:40.
I sent Jesus to undo the works of the devil and to bring the blessing back to mankind that the devil had replaced with the curse. I want it back to Eden on earth and beyond from there. You should have spread that everywhere on earth by now as I commanded Adam and Eve in the beginning.
Ultimately prayer is the release of the resurrection power that resides in every born again believer to do the works that Jesus did and greater ones. He is the resurrection and the life. And He is in you, your hope of glory. Paul prayed you would know this and utilize it in your prayer life with Me, asking that I, “the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give you a spirit of wisdom and of revelation in the knowledge of Him. I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened, so that you will know what is the hope of His calling, what are the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints, and what is the boundless greatness of His power toward us who believe. These are in accordance with the working of the strength of His might which He brought about in Christ, when He raised Him from the dead and seated Him at His right hand in the heavenly places.” Ephesians 1:17-19. And again, “For this reason I bend my knees before the Father, from whom the whole family in heaven and on earth derives its name, that He would grant you, according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with power through His Spirit in the inner self, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith; and that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the width and length and height and depth, and to know the love of Christ which surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled to all the fullness of God. Now to Him who is able to do far more abundantly beyond all that we ask or think, according to the power that works within us, to Him be the glory in the church and in Christ Jesus to all generations forever and ever. Amen.” Ephesians 3:14-21.
He wanted you to know what prayer really is as he did.
It is impossible to please Me without faith, but how can you have faith in someone you do not know? Faith comes through hearing My Word because that is how you get to know Me, or anyone, is by their words. If you don’t know Me, you cannot trust I will hear and answer you. If you think I answer prayer based on how hard you bombard Me and the number of times you say a “novena” prayer or the amount of fasting, lighting candles, and begging, pleading and crying you do, that is a lack of faith. It means you think I will not do what you are seeking and you have to persuade Me to do good for you.
This is a wrong perspective; it is praying from fear that I will not respond favorably to you. You have seen My works but you do not know My ways. You have hardened your heart against Me. You are basing the relationship on trying to overpower My Will with yours. You do not see Me as on your side. David knew that no matter what he had done, even when he sinned, that I was at his side and on his side. And that is the approach to effective prayer, but above and beyond that to an effective relationship—a fellowship, a partnership, a oneness of heart, mind, purpose and prayer. Where we pray a result together. Your prayer and My power igniting an explosion of healing, provision, prosperity, and, ultimately, the release of the blessing that I spoke over mankind from the start.
The key to all is knowing Me and the One I sent, Jesus Christ, who is the Resurrection and the Life. He entrusted that authority on earth to you, His body, the Church, He told you to go and be His witnesses, casting out demons and laying your hands on the sick so they recover, raising the dead and cleansing the unclean by the Word of power. I have given you the gift of My Holy Spirit, the power in you that brings the answer to your prayer and, in partnership with Me, releases that power into the earth and the lives of those being oppressed by the devil.
The answer to your prayers, the miracle you seek, is not one sided. It is not just up to Me. It involves your active participation to release it in union with Me. My Son characterized this as a branch attached to a vine. We are together on a project, and even more. This is partnership with a divine purpose, backed by the Creator of the universe. I have entrusted My power to you to effectively bring the answer to your prayer to pass on earth together with Me.
Prayer is about releasing My power through you to get the job done, that is, the desired result promised in My Word. And it comes from knowing Me and what I am about.
The first community of believers and the apostles devoted themselves to prayer, the reading and preaching of the Word, and the breaking of the bread. And they prayed that I would stretch out My hand through them in healings, miracles, signs and wonders. And I did. Peter and John released resurrection power into the legs and feet of a man crippled from birth and up he jumped. Paul did the same with a paralytic listening to him teach the Word. Signs, wonders, and miracles were the ordinary with them. They went about doing the works of Jesus and greater. Why? They knew Me from the instruction of the apostles and the gifts of the Holy Spirit and knew to release the resurrection power. It was a relationship of love. They left all to follow Me.
I love you. Come, let us reason together to get the desired result. Prayer is partnership, fellowship, friendship, and, above all, a relationship of two hearts that become one in spirit and in truth.