Tag Archives: power of prayer

The power of prayer comes from God alone

 

God invites us to pray. He listens to our prayers. He alone has the power to answer our prayers.

 

Sometimes we don’t feel like He answers prayer because we don’t get what we want, when we want it, or how we want it. Sometimes this is because the motives of our hearts aren’t aligned with God’s. We are like children who want candy everyday for breakfast instead of meals that actually nourish our bodies and make us strong. We pray for healing when suffering will bring us closer to Him. We ask for riches on earth when He knows that sometimes ‘less’ will bless us ‘more.’  We ask for physical comforts when He wants most to comfort our soul.

 

Sometimes we don’t receive the answers to prayer because we have little faith. The disciples encountered this when they couldn’t cast out demons. I wonder how many times we pray out of sense of obligation but without really expecting God’s miraculous answer, through faith.

 

God’s power to answer prayer is not limited by us. Even though He invites us to seek Him often regarding our needs, neglecting to pray one day doesn’t limit His power. He invites us to join together in praying for others, but His power is not restrained if only a few people show up to pray. We’re commanded to live by faith, knowing that even the smallest amount of faith accomplishes large things. But God is not even limited by our lack of faith.

 

Paul tells the true story in Acts 12 when the church prayed for Peter’s release from prison. God answered their prayers and Peter came to them, knocking at their door while they were praying. Their servant recognized Peter’s voice and told the others he was there. But they didn’t believe it was him. In fact, it says they were ‘astonished’ when they saw him! How many times have you been astonished that God actually answered your prayers? Or chalked it up to some natural occurrence, forgetting to give Him credit?

 

The lesson for each of us is that there is power in prayer, but that power does not come from us. It doesn’t depend on our posture or our words. It doesn’t depend on where or how often we pray. It certainly doesn’t come from rituals we’ve invented to accompany our prayers. God’s ability to answer prayer isn’t even limited by the size of our faith.

 

The power of prayer comes from God alone. He is our all powerful, all knowing, and merciful God, who by His own choice, invites us to participate with Him in releasing His power through prayer. He doesn’t have to do it that way. He could side-step us and just work His own perfect will as He pleases. But that’s not our God. Our God works in and through the hearts of believers to release His power into the world, according to His great purpose. I’m astonished by such grace!

 

Almighty God invites us to connect with Him in through prayer that releases His power. Whatever we ask, let’s submit to His wisdom and will, expecting miraculous and powerful results, whether or not they coincide with our specific requests.

 

“For His is the kingdom, the power, and the glory, forever. Amen!”

 

 

Turning the Tide of History Through Prayer

 

 

 

 

If my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven. 2 Chronicles 7:14

 

 

Billy Graham was interviewed years ago and asked, “Looking back on your life of accomplishments, what would you have done differently?” Graham answered, “I should have prayed more.”

 

In this season of mid-term elections we need to be focused in prayer. After all, Jesus commends us to pray for our leaders and even our enemies. Our nation was founded by men who believed in the power of prayer. After the billions of dollars spent on political ads persuading us to vote for someone or against some else, it comes down to our vote and our prayer, which is really the most powerful tool available to us.

 

Now I know there will be many who will be praying that one party or another wins. I have my own opinions on who I want to see in office and likely you have yours. But what if instead of praying our list of candidates, we do something quite radical. What if we personalize 2 Chronicles 7:14 as our prayer to God:

 

God make us people who behave as we are called by your name. Humble us as we pray that we may seek your face and turn from our wicked ways. Give us leaders who are called by your name, who humble themselves before you, who turn from wicked ways. And if we must serve leaders who are ungodly, surround them with godly counsel that their hearts might be changed, and that ours stay faithful to you. 

 

I hope you will exercise your right (and responsibility) to vote. Your vote matters! But first, ask God’s insight. To echo a quote by Mother Teresa, instead of asking God for this or that, let’s put ourselves “in the hands of God, at His disposition, and listening to His voice in the depth of our hearts.”  As we prepare to go to the voting polls, consider these thoughts spoken by the Rev. Billy Graham in his 1962 (yet still current) message, “Turning the Tide of History:”

 

“Today the world is being carried on a rushing torrent of history that is sweeping out of control,” said Rev. Graham.  “There is but one power available to redeem the course of events, and that is the power of prayer by God-fearing, Christ-believing people. Elisha prayed and a young man was raised from the dead; Jesus prayed and Lazarus rose from the dead; the thief on the cross next to Jesus prayed and Jesus told him he would go to paradise that day; John Wesley prayed and religious fervor grew in England, and the same happened with Johnathan Edwards in Northampton.  I tell you, history could be altered and changed again if people went to their knees in believing prayer.”

 

Pray. Pray. Pray. Then vote. Then continue to pray.