The Power of Prayer
Psalm 55:16-19 But I will call on God, and the L ord will rescue me. Morning, noon, and night I cry out in my distress, and the L ord hears my voice. He ransoms me and keeps me safe from the battle waged against me, though many still oppose me. God, who has ruled forever, will hear me and humble them. (NLT)
It seems sometimes in vogue to downplay the power of prayer. I do not mean just from believers but from leadership in the modern American church. I have seen and heard well intended leaders refer to prayer as almost a passing thing; "Of course we tell our congregations to pray, but..."
There is no "but!" Prayer is what moves the heart of God. Instead we can fall for the notion that somehow we play a greater part in the grand design. This may come as blow to some egos, but we do not. The Bible actually warns us:
Trust in the L ord with all your heart; do not depend on your own understanding. Seek his will in all you do, and he will show you which path to take. Don't be impressed with your own wisdom. Instead, fear the L ord and turn away from evil. Proverbs 3: 5-7 (NLT)
If you want to know which direction to go, in anything, the Lord is instructing us here very clearly. We are NOT to depend on our own understanding or be impressed with our own wisdom. What we are supposed to do is seek the will of God in EVERYTHING, trust Him with all our heart, fear the Lord, and turn from evil. Yet we can forget these instructions. The thinking of the world can infiltrate our thinking and we can start rationalizing that God somehow needs our help. Maybe we think He needs our help in spreading morality, representing politics, or judging the lost. We get overly impressed with our own wisdom because we fail to seek His in prayer. The Bible promises us though:
The prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective. James 5:16
Powerful and effective. Want proof? Peter was imprisoned and facing trial. The Bible tells us:
So Peter was kept in prison, but the church was earnestly praying to God for him. Acts 12: 5
The result was God sent an angel
to Peter to deliver him from his prison cell. In the Old Testament King
Jehoshaphat was facing enumerable odds, as multiple countries were advancing
against him and
