The Power of Prayer

Don’t ever underestimate the power of prayer.  As I write this, I’ve just finished reading a couple of prayer requests and prayer updates from friends.  I have two families we know that just found out their wives are facing breast cancer.  We are connected with two families that have recently lost the grandparents in their families.  Through our ministry, we receive a lot of prayer requests and find so many situations where God’s help is needed.

For someone who doesn’t know or believe in God, speaking prayers out loud may just seem silly.  For those that do believe, we all face times where our prayers seem to fall on deaf ears.  We pray, and the situations we pray for aren’t resolved immediately or in the way we expected.  God’s timing and methods are often much different than what we would like.

But don’t stop praying!  Don’t give up!  While God is sovereign, and not every person we pray for will be healed or saved, God is faithful.  In His great wisdom, He provides for His people.  His answers to prayer are always for the good of His people, even when they are hard to accept in the moment.

Psalm 116, verses 1-2 states, “I love the LORD, for he heard my voice; he heard my cry for mercy. Because he turned his ear to me, I will call on him as long as I live.” God hears you when you pray.  He turns His attention to you.  When you pray from a humble, repentant heart, He honors those prayers.

Through our own, short time knowing the Lord, we have seen countless prayers answered.  Clouds parting, rain stopping.  Tornadoes calming around us.  We’ve seen our children healed and supposedly serious health issues just disappear.  We’ve seen relationships healed, addictions broken, friendships restored.  We’ve seen travel arrangements work out, loved ones brought to Christ, finances and housing issues resolved.

God is faithful.  As we draw close to Him, He draws close to us.  As we honor Him, He honors our faith. So don’t stop praying!  Don’t think there is anything too little or too personal to bring to God.  God wants a deep, intimate relationship with us.  Every day, every situation, commit it to the Lord in prayer.  Then watch to see how God acts to answer your prayers.

Not all situations will come out the way you want, and one has to trust that God’s knowledge is greater than ours.  But keep praying.  You will be amazed as God works more and more in your life.