Life Capsule for Today Date: 17th April, 2025
Theme: Basic Elements of Effective Prayer (5)
Topic: The proper ground of prayer
Text: Matt 7:7-12
7 “Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. 8 For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened. 9 Or what man is there among you who, if his son asks for bread, will give him a stone? 10 Or if he asks for a fish, will he give him a serpent? 11 If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask Him! 12 Therefore, whatever you want men to do to you, do also to them, for this is the Law and the Prophets. NKJV
Memory Verse: Rom 8:16-17
6 The Spirit Himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, 17 and if children, then heirs — heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ, if indeed we suffer with Him, that we may also be glorified together. NKJV
Words of the Ministry
Today’s life capsule would be focused on the proper ground of prayer as another important element for effective prayers. I would be considering two passage both of which we see certain individual using about same sentences in prayers to Jesus and getting two different results. The purpose of this is to emphasize the need for us to approach God on the proper grounds.
In Mathew 15.22, a Canaanite woman sought the Lord, asking he delivers her daughter from demons, the statement was, “Son of David have mercy on me”, Jesus ignored her and he later made her to understand he as the son of David was only sent to the household of Israel and since she wasn’t part of the covenant, she was automatically excluded, the Canaanite woman understanding that then changed her request saying “Lord have mercy on me”, Jesus did this to make her position herself properly and benefit from Grace, on using the word Lord, Jesus then answered that the bread of Children should not be given to Dogs, she then requested for crumbs, Jesus seeing her faith then delivered the daughter.
Another similar story is the case of blind Bartimaeus (Mark 10:46-47), he saying the same sentence “Son of David have mercy on me”, Jesus on seeing his persistence called for him asking what he wanted, he requested his eyes be restored and Jesus healed him immediately without any conditions attached because he was an Israelite and was part of the covenant, he had the right to approach Jesus on the grounds of him being the son of David.
Considering both stories, we notice that the same sentence was used by both persons but while blind Bartimaeus had the right to approach Jesus on the grounds of him being the son of David, the Canaanite woman didn’t. The implication of this to us is that we must learn to approach God in prayers through Jesus Christ on the proper grounds. We must confidently approach him on the grounds of sonship, on the grounds of faith, grace and mercy. We must take advantage of our covenant right and not depend on our works, human righteousness. While the unsaved may erroneously approach God on the grounds of works, we must approach him on the grounds of faith and knowledge. Our memory verse says as Children we are heirs, in this sense we are not slaves, as sons we have a right to his goodness and provision. We can therefore say as Sons, we have an unlimited access to him, we are not outcast from God’s economy, we are the spiritual Israelites, the many sons and daughters of God and God is willing to do for us more than we can ever ask, amen.
Please keep in mind our monthly Peniel Encounter scheduled for the 27th of April by 4pm.
Bible in One Year: 2 Sam 15-16
For further fellowship send us an email on godmanvideos@gmail.com or visit our youtube channel: @godmanmedia. You can also interact with us by dropping your comments on our facebook page. Our physical meeting, Word feast comes up every Wednesday by 5pm and Prayer Gym every Saturday by 7am while PENIEL comes up once a month, every last Sunday of the month from 4pm to 6.30pm at Suite A10, Ahser Office Complex, beside Living Faith Church, Opposite Hassan Stores, Arab Road, Kubwa Abuja.