2 Chron 7:12-14, Then the Lord appeared to Solomon at night and said to him, "I have heard your prayer, and have chosen this place for Myself as a house of sacrifice. If I shut up the heavens so that there is no rain, or if I command the locust to devour the land, or if I send pestilence among My people, and My people who are called by My name humble themselves and pray, and seek My face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, will forgive their sin, and will heal their land. 
In giving appropriate credit for the basic elements of our study on prayer, we have used a framework of material adapted from The Battle Plan for Prayer Bible Study Curriculum, developed by Stephen and Alex Kendrick. 
	As we have been emphasizing over the past few weeks, we need to come to the recognition that when we pray, we are inviting God to change the course of our history, “Thy Kingdom come, Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven”. This is no small realization of the power that is invested by God in the true and effective prayer of His people. That is why it is so incumbent upon us to know His Word as it reveals His heart in our prayers. His Word should be the very basis of the manner and the flowing current of our prayerful communication with the Lord God Almighty.
	In line with the effectiveness of our prayers and the realization that prayer changes the very history of our lives, we should be immersing ourselves in praying for someone besides ourselves. We are urged to pray for the sake of God’s effectual working in the lives of other people. Look again at the great call of the Apostle Paul to the prayer warriors of the church as recounted in Eph 6:17-20. 
Eph 6:17-20, And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. With all prayer and petition pray at all times in the Spirit, and with this in view, be on the alert with all perseverance and petition for all the saints, and pray on my behalf, that utterance may be given to me in the opening of my mouth, to make known with boldness the mystery of the gospel, for which I am an ambassador in chains; that in proclaiming it I may speak boldly, as I ought to speak. 
    	The Apostle is asking for prayer to be forthcoming for his very ministry of the Gospel unto those who need to hear the truth of Jesus Christ. And he is not only seeking for a prayer covering for himself, but for all the saints. It is necessary to pray for one another, to set aside the idea that the whole world revolves around us. We are to commit ourselves to pray for others. Whether that prayer is for safe-keeping, or for healing, or for salvation, or for strength, or for wisdom, or for whatever the need may be, we stand in prayer together for the Lord to work in the lives of others whom He puts upon our hearts.
	The vital truth of this holding others before the throne of God’s grace and mercy is detailed to Timothy by the Apostle Paul in 1 Tim 2:1-4, if you would please turn to it and read along with me. 1 Tim 2:1-4, First of all, then, I urge that entreaties and prayers, petitions and thanksgivings, be made on behalf of all men, for kings and all who are in authority, in order that we may lead a tranquil and quiet life in all godliness and dignity. This is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Savior, who desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth. 
    	We are encouraged to pray for those who have authority over us, whether governmental authority or any other, such as our bosses and our teachers and our ministers and our parents. We are to pray for all those with whom we have any contact for the sake of their salvation and our witness of godliness and peace and dignity. Rather than complain and moan and groan, we are to pray for all those whom God brings into our lives for His plan and His purposes to be accomplished.
	Again hear the urgency of that prayer for others, specifically those preaching the word to the lost in 2 Cor 1:8-11. Please open to it and let us stand up together as we read it. 2 Cor 1:8-11.
2 Cor 1:8-11, For we do not want you to be unaware, brethren, of our affliction which came to us in Asia, that we were burdened excessively, beyond our strength, so that we despaired even of life; indeed, we had the sentence of death within ourselves in order that we should not trust in ourselves, but in God who raises the dead; who delivered us from so great a peril of death, and will deliver us, He on whom we have set our hope. And He will yet deliver us, you also joining in helping us through your prayers, that thanks may be given by many persons on our behalf for the favor bestowed upon us through the prayers of many. 
You may take your seats.
The prayers of the saints are never wasted but, as shown in this passage, are a joining together in help to those who are on the front line of the spreading of the gospel and in the instruction of the saints. It is a vital need for the church to pray on the behalf of one another because it does lead to the thanksgiving of all unto God for His so great gift of love, His Only Begotten Son.
As a final encouragement from the Apostle Paul to all of us, we have His simple, yet forceful command in 1 Thess 5:25. 1 Thess 5:25, Brethren, pray for us. This is a powerful and dynamic reinforcement to us of the necessity of effective prayer within the Body of believers. 
 	The last detail that we will consider this morning in the course of the power of effective prayer before the throne of God is that when we pray in line with His Word, under the guidance of the Holy Spirit, praying for others, we will find ourselves praying with an ever increasing delight in the Lord. We will be brought out of our self-seeking, selfish motives onto the higher plain of seeing the awesome reality of the One Who has worked so mightily and wonderfully in our lives and in the lives of so many countless others.
	The Psalmist knew this course of enjoyment in the work of the Lord as we find in Ps 37:3-5. Ps 37:3-5, Trust in the Lord, and do good; Dwell in the land and cultivate faithfulness. Delight yourself in the Lord; And He will give you the desires of your heart. Commit your way to the Lord, Trust also in Him, and He will do it. Note the focus is on the goodness of the Lord and His faithfulness to make Himself the center of our attention. 
	Our prayers of delight in the Lord will lead us to praise and worship and adore Him, forgetting about ourselves and concentrating upon Him, Alone. Listen to this in the Psalmist’s declaration of Ps 34:1-4. Ps 34:1-4, I will bless the Lord at all times; His praise shall continually be in my mouth. My soul shall make its boast in the Lord; The humble shall hear it and rejoice. O magnify the Lord with me, And let us exalt His name together. I sought the Lord, and He answered me, And delivered me from all my fears. 
	And, again this same delight in the Lord leading to the praise of God is recounted in Ps 43:4. Ps 43:4, Then I will go to the altar of God, To God my exceeding joy; And upon the lyre I shall praise Thee, O God, my God. 
    	Also consider Ps 104:33+34, as barely scratching the surface of the praise contained in the Psalmist’s prayers of adoration and delight in the Lord God, Jehovah. Ps 104:33+34, I will sing to the Lord as long as I live; I will sing praise to my God while I have my being. Let my meditation be pleasing to Him; As for me, I shall be glad in the Lord. 
	It was so evident that the Psalmist threw his whole essence into the praise of the Lord as he found his delight in God. Everything was wrapped together in the praises that the Lord, Alone, was due, as in Ps 146:2. Ps 146:2, I will praise the Lord while I live; I will sing praises to my God while I have my being.   
	The Prophet Isaiah, in Isa 58:11-14, as well gave the instruction to find our delight in the Lord and to honor Him in the course of our walk on this earth. If we set aside that which we know is not pleasing to the Lord and seek to honor and to obey Him, He will become not only our delight, but our source of glory and strength and joy. 
Isa 58:11-14, "And the Lord will continually guide you, And satisfy your desire in scorched places, And give strength to your bones; And you will be like a watered garden, And like a spring of water whose waters do not fail. "And those from among you will rebuild the ancient ruins; You will raise up the age-old foundations; And you will be called the repairer of the breach, The restorer of the streets in which to dwell. "If because of the sabbath, you turn your foot From doing your own pleasure on My holy day, And call the sabbath a delight, the holy day of the Lord  honorable, And shall honor it, desisting from your own ways, From seeking your own pleasure, And speaking your own word, Then you will take delight in the Lord, And I will make you ride on the heights of the earth; And I will feed you with the heritage of Jacob your father, For the mouth of the Lord has spoken." 
    	Our Lord Jesus, Himself, indicated that we would not find our delight in the realm of this age because it is defiantly set against God and His people. Rather, as in Matt 5:12, we need to focus our hearts on that which pleases and honors God and rejoice and be glad in the truth that He has chosen us unto Himself. We are not to expect to find true joy anywhere else but in our living relationship with the Lord. Matt 5:12, "Rejoice, and be glad, for your reward in heaven is great, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you. 
    	Consider the example of Paul and Silas as they were in jail and how they prayed unto the Lord and that lead to their worship and adoration of God in song, as recorded in Acts 16:25. Acts 16:25, But about midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns of praise to God, and the prisoners were listening to them… This witness of the joy that was theirs in Christ despite the persecution of this age ultimately led to the salvation of the jailor and his entire family. There is so much tremendous power unleashed by God when His people lift up their prayers of praise and rejoicing in Him.
	The Apostle Paul highlighted this entire emphasis of life and the manner of our honoring God in prayer and in rejoicing as he gave direction to us in Rom 12:9-13. He encourages us in the way that we are to deal with one another as pleasing the Lord, no matter how this world is dealing with us. 
Rom 12:9-13, Let love be without hypocrisy. Abhor what is evil; cling to what is good. Be devoted to one another in brotherly love; give preference to one another in honor; not lagging behind in diligence, fervent in spirit, serving the Lord; rejoicing in hope, persevering in tribulation, devoted to prayer, contributing to the needs of the saints, practicing hospitality. 
	Again, with very succinct terminology, he commanded the proper response of all Christians in terms of our day to day response to all the things that come our way in Phil 4:4. Phil 4:4, Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice! 
    	As well, in 1 Thess 5:16-18, this reality of finding our delight in the Lord as we pray and view everything from the vantage point of God’s plan and His grace and His mercy and His love in action is demanded of all of us. It is our honoring way of living forth from the goodness and the joy bestowed in Jesus Christ. 1 Thess 5:16-18, Rejoice always; pray without ceasing; in everything give thanks; for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus. 
	The Apostle Paul was not alone in his declarations that we are to delight ourselves in the praise and adoration and thanksgiving unto the Lord no matter what is taking place in our lives on this earth. The Apostle Peter, in 1 Peter 1:6-9, as well makes this so evident as the manner of how we are to recognize that God is worthy of all praise and adoration even in the midst of our most difficult trials and tribulations. 
    	1 Peter 1:6-9, In this you greatly rejoice, even though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been distressed by various trials, that the proof of your faith, being more precious than gold which is perishable, even though tested by fire, may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ; and though you have not seen Him, you love Him, and though you do not see Him now, but believe in Him, you greatly rejoice with joy inexpressible and full of glory, obtaining as the outcome of your faith the salvation of your souls. 
	In 1 Peter 4:12+13, Peter takes this even deeper into the truth that we will face many things on this earth, yet we should face them in the reality of our delighting ourselves in the manifold work of God being accomplished in the very midst of the worst that this age will rain down upon our heads. 1 Peter 4:12+13, Beloved, do not be surprised at the fiery ordeal among you, which comes upon you for your testing, as though some strange thing were happening to you; but to the degree that you share the sufferings of Christ, keep on rejoicing; so that also at the revelation of His glory, you may rejoice with exultation.
	Therefore, as we delight in the Lord, our prayers will rise up from the depths of our beings, through all the trials and tribulations and fiery testings that are part of this life. We will bring praise and honor to God as we prayerfully rejoice in Him and worship Him and adore Him and trust Him to the utmost! So be it!
Then the Lord appeared to Solomon at night and said to him, "I have heard your prayer, and have chosen this place for Myself as a house of sacrifice. If I shut up the heavens so that there is no rain, or if I command the locust to devour the land, or if I send pestilence among My people, and My people who are called by My name humble themselves and pray, and seek My face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, will forgive their sin, and will heal their land. Amen.

This morning’s benediction Deut 1:11. 'May the Lord, the God of your fathers, increase you a thousand-fold more than you are, and bless you, just as He has promised you! Amen.