Harold J. Sala - Touching God: 52 Guidelines for Personal Prayer

Copyright 2012 by Harold J. Sala

All rights reserved.

978-1-4336-7936-0

Published in eBook only by B&H Publishing Group

Nashville, Tennessee

All Scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from Holy Bible: New International Version , NIV. Copyright 1973, 1978, 1984 by the International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved.

Other Scripture quotations are taken from:

Holy Bible: King James Version, KJV.

New American Standard Bible , NASB. Copyright 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Holy Bible: New King James Version , NKJV. Copyright 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

The Living Bible , TLB. Copyright 1971. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

Contents

Foreword

I have known Harold Sala for a lot of years, and have watched his life and ministry unfold like a flower.

In his manifold ministry (radio and TV, conferences, and many missionary endeavors) with Guidelines, Inc., which he founded and directs, he is a very busy man. He does so many things, and does them well.

In reality, however, they all come out of one thing: prayer . And let me quickly add, faith . Prayer without faith is dead, and Dr. Sala always takes his faith along when he prays. He is also a part of our Prayer Fellowship, and when he prays he believes the Lord is hearing and answering. The answers keep cominglarge and smallin his personal life and in his many ministries.

He has learned that everything in life is made for prayer, and it is inviting and exciting to hear him tell how the Lord is constantly leading with one answer to prayer after another. The answers never cease. And this includes their finances. His life story is one of prayer and answered prayer.

So when Harold Sala talks about prayer and answered prayer, we listen.

He also has a very large writing ministry, covering almost every facet of the Christian life. In the following chapters he has crafted many vignettes, and they all relate to his own prayer life. This gives them a quality of their own, one which you will enjoy at the same time that you will be inspired in your own life of prayer and answered prayer.

You will find these to be guidelines not only for prayer, but also for living.

Armin Gesswein

Founder, Prayer Fellowship, Inc.

Preface

A friend of Guidelines called, saying that he was going to speak on the subject of prayer, and he asked if I could send him some of the selections that have been aired on my radio program, Guidelinesa Five Minute Commentary on Living . As I began searching, I was amazed at the number of selectionssome of which were released several years agothat contained inspiration and encouragement.

Not only was his heart blessed, but mine was as well as I began to ponder the awesome power of prayer, often neglected and not practiced. Yes, we believe in the power of prayer, but often it is relegated to the spiritual 911 category of desperation(help, God, Im in big trouble!).

I have prepared this anthology of selections on prayer to serve as an encouragement for your personal prayer life.

Each one stands alone. While many will read through this at one sitting, I believe you will get the most out of this book by reading one each day and then applying the truths you have learned to your personal life.

My special thanks goes to Cheryl Sala, my daughter-in-law, and Luisa Ampil, my administrative assistant. Both worked long hours typing page after page.

Naturally, I would be pleased to hear from you. Please let me know how your prayer life has been enriched and your spiritual roots have gone deeper as your faith has risen higher.

Tennyson was right: More things are wrought by prayer than this world ever dreamed of.

Yours and His,

Harold J. Sala

E-mail: Harold@guidelines.org

Day 1

Find Out about Prayer

But God has surely listened and heard my voice in prayer.

Psalm 66:19

Charles Steinmetz was an electrical genius. He was a gifted scientist and inventor who discovered the principles of direct electrical current. This man took his place in the halls of science alongside Thomas Edison (who is credited with making the incandescent globe a household item), Alexander Bell (who invented the telephone) and Enrico Fermi (who split the atom). Steinmetz was slight of stature and as the result of a spinal injury stood slightly stooped forward. Toward the end of his life, he was asked what field of scientific research offered the greatest promise in the future. His answer surprised some as he said, Prayer. Find out about prayer!

The man who discovered direct electrical current also was interested in spiritual current. Find out about prayer, he said. When I accidentally touch a live wire, I know it. There is no questioning the fact that I discovered the current. My hair stands on end and I quickly jump.

Does prayer work the same way? When Jesus prayed, the request and the answer seemed to flow along the same lines, the same current. It was not a leave-your-request-at-the-door, and Ill get back to you as soon as possible sort of relationship. When Jesus prayed, things happened. That was why the disciples came to Jesus with the request, Lord, teach us to pray! (Luke 11:1).

In time, the disciples found out about prayer. They prayed in all kinds of circumstances: in homes where they met for fellowship, in the temple, in prison where they had been thrown for preaching the gGospel, in confronting disease and illness. They prayed in almost every conceivable situation, giving us a pattern to follow.

Prayer is talking with your heavenly Father, and the conversation should just flow out of your heart.

Find out about prayer, urged Charles Steinmetz.

One way you can find out about prayer is simply to pray!

There are no great volumes of theology you must master before you can pray, no flowery language that you must use, nothing you must do as a prelude. Prayer is talking with your heavenly Father, and the conversation should just flow out of your heart.

To learn about prayer as Steinmetz suggested, I would encourage you to get a notebook and divide it into two sections. In the first section, I would make at least four columns: one for date when you are asking, another for what you are praying about, the third for recording the way God answers your prayer, and the fourth for the date of the answer. This, of course, is an encouragement to pray about specific things or situations. Putting the dates down is like driving a stake in the ground so you can measure the distance between the request and the answer.

Now, what about the second section of your notebook? Start reading your New Testament and notice the remarkable promises God has made, promises telling you that He is a God who hears and answers prayer. When you discover one of these remarkable promises, copy it into your notebook. As you pray, remind God of what He has promised and ask Him to honor His Word.

God is a gentleman, who honors His Word, and though some promises are made specifically to certain individuals or groups, most of the promises regarding answered prayer are simply made to Gods children. And being His child is the only requirement.