You sit down in your favorite chair, take a deep breath and close your eyes.
You're stuck in traffic, running late to a big work meeting.
Your head hits the pillow and you stare up at the dark ceiling as you replay the events of the day in bed.
You're in the line at the grocery store, knowing you only have a certain amount of money for this week's shopping and hope you have not gone over.
Prayer can be done anywhere for anything. It can be long or short. It can be when you are happy or when you are sad/mad. It has no correct formula and the smallest child can partake in prayer and God will most certainly listen. Prayer is quite simply, a conversation with God. This conversation, however, is unlike any other conversation you have ever experienced. "Why?" you might ask. Well, that's because prayer has power. Such power that it can stop the most evil Devil the world has ever seen! Power that can raise men from the grave and change lives in an instant. Power that can save souls for all of eternity and wipe sin away from our bodies, leaving us as clean as fresh snow. Prayer is the most powerful tool we have in this entire world. Don't believe me? Let's look at some passages together and learn more about the power of prayer!
Then they cried to the LORD in their trouble, and he delivered them from their distress. He made the storm be still, and the waves of the sea were hushed. Then they were glad that the waters were quiet, and he brought them to their desired haven. – Psalm 107:28-30
Our troubles can sometimes be too big for us, but they are never too big for God! God is faithful in seeing that we get to where we need to be when we call out and let Him help up in our situation!
Ask, and it will be given to you seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. – Matthew 7:7
Persistence in prayer is key! Have you ever heard someone say "you have not because you ask not?" This is a Biblical tenet! We need to speak our desires to God, tell Him why we want such thing and how it will further our walk with Him, and then... if it's what is truly right for us, He will supply it in just the right time.
And he said to them, “This kind cannot be driven out by anything but prayer. –Mark 9:29
God doesn't always want to just have us solving all of our problems on our own. How would we keep close to Him if we didn't NEED Him? Sometimes He wants to intervene, but God is a gentleman and will not do so until we call on Him. Lay it down at His feet and give yourself a break!
Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. – Philippians 4:6-7
What's the use of worrying about something when we have the power to give it to God? When we take our worries to Him, we can rest assured that He hears and is on the case... and we can continue enjoying our life where we are!
Is anyone among you sick? Let him call for the elders of the church, and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord. And the prayer of faith will save the one who is sick, and the Lord will raise him up. And if he has committed sins, he will be forgiven. Therefore, confess your sins to one another and pray for one another,that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person has great power as it is working. – James 5:14-16
Prayer can heal the sick and even raise the dead! Jesus certainly did so with Lazarus! Now, I don't want you to misinterpret this: God has so many plans for all of us that we cannot begin to understand and sometimes that means that we don't always get better. This does not mean, however, that our prayers were not heard. It simply means that we do not yet know what God has in store. We still must trust God to heal in the ways He sees fit and remember that our prayers are important to such healing!
Prayer is so powerful and crucial to doing life with God because together with Him, we are more than conquerors!
