The Power of Prayer

Luke records, “Then He spoke a parable to them, that men always ought to pray and not lose heart.” (Luke 18:1). At times we are all faced with various forms of adversity. Regardless of how adversity presents itself, we do not have to lose heart. Jesus has given us the strategies we need to endure adversity while guarding our hearts.

We must always bear in mind that there is great power in prayer. When we bow before God in prayer we are coming before the Almighty who loves us more than we can possibly imagine. We also remember that God always answers prayer. That does not mean that His answer always aligns itself to our expectations. Often God exceeds our expectations or shows us a better way than we originally anticipated.

One example of the power of prayer comes from the book of Acts. Here Luke records that the apostle Peter had been taken into custody. Herod’s intention was to put Peter to death just as he did to James earlier. (Acts 12). We read that while Peter was in prison that constant prayer was being offered up for him by the church (Acts 12:5).

While the church was praying for Peter, the Lord sent an angel to him to set him free from his bondage. After the angel led him outside the prison, Peter went to the home of Mary, the mother of John (vs. 12). Here a group of Christians were gathered to pray for Peter. While they were still praying for his release, he was standing outside knocking on their door!

When Rhoda announced Peter’s arrival, no one believed her. Even when they laid eyes on Peter they were astonished at his presence (vs. 16). This is the power of prayer demonstrated.

James wrote, “The effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much.” (James 5:16). The question is, “Do we believe this?” if we say that we believe, do our actions reflect such belief? For example, when we are faced with adversity, what is our first reaction? Do we try and solve the trouble ourselves? Do we secretly believe the problem is too big for God or perhaps too small for Him? In either case, we do well to remember how great and powerful our God is. There is nothing too hard for Him to accomplish, or too small for Him to be bothered with.

Prayer saves us from an anxious heart. Remember the words of Paul, “Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God.” (Philippians 4:6) The more we bring our problems before God, the stronger our faith becomes in Him and in the power of prayer.

God Bless Each of You,

Eric D. Hicks