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Prayer: Power from God
Prayer has the power to move mountains. This is certainly so if our prayer is to the God of Ages. Yes, there are many examples of prayers in the Bible which have literally changed the world. Moses parted the Red Sea and Israel vanquished great armies, and many other events are examples of the power of prayer.
The power of prayer lies in the power of the God of Ages and His willingness to listen to our requests and to respond in a powerful way because He cares about us. Prayer is powerful because our God is powerful.
Recognizing God as our Lord
All prayer must begin with our recognition of God as our omnipotent, sovereign Creator and Lord. Even though we
might not say it directly in our prayer, our attitude must recognize God as our sovereign Lord whenever we approach
Him in prayer. Without recognizing God as preeminent in our lives we cannot expect that God would even listen to
our requests. God will listen to us because faithful prayer is a part of a two way relationship with God which God
preordained. Prayer must come as a direct result of faith. Prayer is our voice of faith. We are affirming that we
believe God's Word when He tells us He is our Father, Creator and benefactor and that He will listen to His faithful
children. Therefore we pray as a natural extension of this faithful relationship with God. Then God makes it possible
through faith for Him to remember His original intended relationship with His children. God remembers His original
promise to Abraham that he would bless His offspring.
Genesis 22:18 - "In your seed all the nations of the earth shall be blessed, because you have obeyed My voice."
Righteous prayer
A prayer that God will listen to and answer in a positive way comes from a humble, obedient and contrite heart.
Isaiah 57:15 - "For thus says the High and Lofty One who inhabits eternity, whose name is Holy: 'I dwell in the
high and holy place, with him who has a contrite and humble spirit, to revive the spirit of the humble, and to revive
the heart of the contrite ones.'" When we are humble in our attitude, God shows His loves us and has compassion
for us and our needs. This includes listening to our requests.
Unrighteous prayer
It is possible for our prayer to be such that God will not answer in a positive way. Do you remember the story of the
wicked prophet Balaam the son of Beor? Joshua 24:9-10 - "Then Balak the son of Zippor, king of Moab, arose to
make war against Israel, and sent and called Balaam the son of Beor to curse you. 'But I would not listen to
Balaam; therefore he continued to bless you. So I delivered you out of his hand.'" If our attitude is not right and we
do not have the proper attitude towards God and others, God tells us He will not listen to an unrighteous prayer. But
when our attitude properly recognizes God as our sovereign Lord and we ask for help in anything according to His
will, He promises to answer our prayers in a positive way.
The disciples of Jesus understood the importance of prayer. I am sure they often saw our Lord and Savior Jesus in
prayer to the Father. The disciples asked Him in
Luke 11:1 - "Now it came to pass, as He was praying in a certain place, when He ceased, that one of His disciples
said to Him, 'Lord, teach us to pray, as John also taught his disciples.'" Jesus was steadfast and continuously in
prayer to the Father. If Jesus the Son of God needed to pray regularly and often, should we not recognize prayer as
absolutely necessary for a healthy and significant relationship with our Father in heaven? Is it not wonderful that
God, the Creator of heaven and earth is willing to listen to our needs and wants and in most instances answers our
prayers in a positive manner? Jesus in the Sermon on the Mount taught that the Father loves us and hears us when
we ask His favor. Matthew 7:7-11 - "Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be
opened to you. For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened.
Or what man is there among you who, if his son asks for bread, will give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, will
he give him a serpent? If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will
your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask Him!"
Using God's gift
And yet it is possible that prayer is the most under-utilized gift our Father in Heaven has given to us. We might look
back at own life and see the many missed opportunities when we could have exercised prayer and the power that
God extends to us through prayer and be sadden by it. Prayer is the key to utilizing God's power to change this world
for the better.
One might say to ones self, I am a sinner. I have not been faithful. How can God hear my prayer? And yet these are
the very word's God wants to hear from us.
Each Person is important to God
Many often underestimate the importance of their own prayers. We might think it is enough that the elders and
minister prays for the needs of the congregation. God does not need our prayers. We are forgetting that God looks at
each one of us as His child. Each one of us is personally important to God. The truth is that you might be the
humblest person praying for someone's needs. Matthew 18:1-4 - "At that time the disciples came to Jesus, saying,
'Who then is greatest in the kingdom of heaven?' Then Jesus called a little child to Him, set him in the midst of
them, and said, 'Assuredly, I say to you, unless you are converted and become as little children, you will by no
means enter the kingdom of heaven. Therefore whoever humbles himself as this little child is the greatest in the
kingdom of heaven.'" God does not view greatness the way we do.
Greatest in the Kingdom of Heaven?
Who is the greatest in the Kingdom of Heaven? It is the humble child. Are you a humble child of God? God will
listen to you. But you must ask him. God wants a two way relationship with you. Our own prayers are an untapped
source of power for us and the Kingdom of God if we will just pray with faith. John 15:15-16 - "No longer do I call
you servants, for a servant does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, for all things that
I heard from My Father I have made known to you. You did not choose Me, but I chose you and appointed you that
you should go and bear fruit, and that your fruit should remain, that whatever you ask the Father in My name He
may give you."
When you pray to Him you are responding in faith and God promised to bless you when you are faithful. He will
also bless those we extend our prayers to as well, if it is His will.
Joe Andrasik
The Scripture quotations in this article are from
The New King James Version. ©1979,1980,1982, Thomas Nelson Inc., Publishers.
Permission for reference use has been granted.
The New King James Version. ©1979,1980,1982, Thomas Nelson Inc., Publishers.
Permission for reference use has been granted.
(http://www.oldpaths.com)
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