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- The Power of Prayer
Ben Bailey
"The effective, fervent prayer of a righteous
man avails much" (James 5:16). Prayer is one of the most
powerful tools the Christian has as his possession. Yet, it is
sadly one of the most overlooked and under-used tools God has
given us. Just imagine how long we would stay on the phone if
we could call God directly from our home phone and talk to Him.
In essence we do have this kind of communication. Jesus said,
"Men ought to pray always and never loose heart" (Lk.
18:1). Jesus tells us, "If you ask anything in my name I
will do it" (John 14:14). Since prayer is such a powerful
tool, how can we become a more prayerful people? Let me suggest
three principles to strengthen our prayer life.
1. Realize the Power of Prayer. In times of
trouble and distress of heart God's people always turned to Him.
Peter tells us to "cast all our cares upon Him for He cares
for you" (1 Pet. 5:7). Paul encouraged the Christians in
Philippi to "Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by
prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests
be made known to God" (Phil. 4:6). Until we realize that
"prayer moves the hand the moves the world" we will
not use it regularly.
2. Realize the Purpose of Prayer. All too
often prayer becomes a "gimme-session" where all we
do is ask God to give us certain things and tell Him what we need.
In the Bible, prayer is more often than not a time for God's people
to praise and magnify His holy name (Read Daniel 8:4, Matt. 6:9).
Instead of jumping right into telling God what we need, we should
take the time to laud His holy name. When we do praise God in
our prayers it should humble us and cause us to realize the proper
priorities in life.
3. Realize the Patience of Prayer. Many people
give up on prayer because they do not get an immediate response,
or so they think. Garth Brook's song "I thank God for unanswered
prayers" has done more harm to prayer than we realize. Many
people have not yet realized that song is unscriptural. There
is NO unanswered prayer. The response may be different
than what we expect. It may come at a later time. Or, the answer
may be no. Please realize that God knows what is best for us and
when it is best (Rom. 8:28).
If we truly realize that prayer is one of the
most powerful tools we have to praise God then we will begin to
use it more. May God give us the strength to be a more prayerful
people!
- Ben Bailey
- 1733 Winchester
- Ardmore, OK 73401