Rees Howells, Intercessor is the story of a man whose prayers literally directed world events. One of the first things the Spirit taught him was that effective praying must be guided praying, and that, rather than praying for all kinds of things at his own whim or fancy, he was to expect the Holy Spirit to guide his asking. The Spirit gave him these key words, "Of all that I give you see that you lose nothing." He was to pray and receive everything for which the Spirit impressed him to pray.

When Patty first came to our home Bible study and began praying as a new Christian, she received remarkable answers to prayer. Small things she asked for appeared in such unusual ways that she could not mistake those happenings as coincidences.

I was attending a seminar in St. Louis and had begun the first day with a sweet awareness of Jesus' presence. By that evening I was praying, "Lord, why did I lose that sense of Your presence as the day progressed?" I dreaded going back the second day without an inner confidence that I was abiding in Him. 

Our guest arose from the kitchen table and stretching out his hands he began to quote Isa 65: "Ready was I to answer men who never asked me, ready to be found by men who never sought me. I cried out, 'Here am I' to folk who never called to me. I have stretched my hands all day to unruly rebels, who lead a corrupt life pleasing themselves, a people who provoke me to my face continually" (vss. 1,2 Moffat).

Many years ago, when Chuck Swindoll's children were still in school, his wife Cynthia stayed home with them while he flew to Canada for a full week of ministry. He was exhausted by Friday night, so he grabbed a hamburger at the hotel café and headed back to his room.

Bernie May tells in his booklet Learning to Trust that he received an urgent phone message from Forrey Zander, director of a regional Wycliffe Bible Translators' office. A young Asian lady was considering returning home as a Bible translator but was short $1000 needed to enroll in the Linguistics school. 

Jan Johnson told the pastor she'd be glad to pass out brochures door to door. But when he handed them to her, she thought, I'd love to go home, curl up, and read a book. All her introverted, shy tendencies oozed forth. But because she'd agreed to pass out the material, she gritted her teeth and ventured up the walk to the first house.

I awakened one morning at 1:30 and the words "Stir yourself" were in my mind. I found the word "stir" in Isaiah 64:7: "And there is no one who calls on Your name, Who stirs himself up to take hold of You." (NKJV)  These words follow Isaiah's cry to God: "Oh, that you would rend the heavens and come down" (Isaiah 64:1). Isaiah desperately wanted God to come down, but it was a sad time. There was "no one who calls on Your name, Who stirs himself up to take hold of You" (vs. 7).