Spiritual Benefits Of A Covenant Prayer Life


Isaiah 52:1 begins with the command, "Awake, Awake." The word "awake" in scripture often deals with prayer as it does in this verse. The scripture continues to declare: "put on thy strength, O Zion; put on thy beautiful garments, O Jerusalem, the holy city: for henceforth there shall no more come into thee the uncircumcised and the unclean.

2 Shake thyself from the dust; arise, and sit down, O Jerusalem: loose thyself from the bands of thy neck, O captive daughter of Zion.
3 For thus saith the LORD, Ye have sold yourselves for nought; and ye shall be redeemed without money.
4 For thus saith the Lord GOD, My people went down aforetime into Egypt to sojourn there; and the Assyrian oppressed them without cause.
5 Now therefore, what have I here, saith the LORD, that my people is taken away for nought? they that rule over them make them to howl, saith the LORD; and my name continually every day is blasphemed.
6 Therefore my people shall know my name: therefore they shall know in that day that I am he that doth speak: behold, it is I."

The Word of God, in this portion of scripture, gives us the 10 benefits of prayer.

    Verse 1 declares:
  1. "...put on thy strength, O Zion..." Prayer strengthens your walk as a Christian.

  2. "Put on thy beautiful garments..." This refers to a holy life. Prayer enables you to live a holy life.

  3. "...for henceforth there shall no more come into thee the uncircumcised and the unclean." This speaks of separation from the world. The power of prayer enables us to live a life separate from unbelievers, clean before the Lord.

    Verse 2 goes on to declare:

  4. "Shake thyself from the dust..." This speaks about coming out of destruction. Only prayer gives you the power to live a life free from destruction.

  5. "...arise, and sit down, O Jerusalem..." Only those who live a life of prayer can be seated in the presence of God. To be "seated" means you are resting in Him. Prayer gives you the ability to rest in Him.

  6. "...loose thyself from the bands of thy neck, O captive daughter of Zion." Only prayer gives you the power to loose yourself from the bondage of the enemy. Only when you and I begin to pray can we come out of bondage and live in liberty.

    Verse 3 declares:

  7. "For thus saith the LORD, Ye have sold yourselves for nought; and ye shall be redeemed without money." When someone does not pray, they sell themselves to the enemy, and only through prayer can God redeem them back. Prayer brings you back to God.

    Verse 4 declares:

  8. "For thus saith the Lord GOD, My people went down aforetime into Egypt to sojourn there; and the Assyrian oppressed them without cause." Those who do not pray have caused the "Assyrians," the devil, to oppress them without cause, and only through prayer can we be free from him. Prayer releases you completely from the power of the enemy.

    Verse 5 declares:

  9. "Now therefore, what have I here, saith the LORD, that my people is taken away for nought? they that rule over them make them to howl, saith the LORD; and my name continually every day is blasphemed." Those who do not pray have allowed the devil to rule over them with such bondage that they howl because of it. The word "howl" means they are in deep bondage. Only when we pray can we rule over the enemy and not he over us.

    Verse 6 declares:

  10. "Therefore my people shall know my name: therefore they shall know in that day that I am he that doth speak: behold, it is I." Only through prayer can we know the Lord's name and it's power and also know His voice.

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