The Power of Prayer

Confession: I have fallen incredibly short in the area of praying for my friends. They will ask me for prayer, and I will pray for them right then and there, and maybe add them in briefly when I'm talking with Jesus, but I have failed to genuinely focus on the needs of my friends through prayer. For this, I apologize.

But the best way to say "I'm sorry" is to change.

Prayer is the most powerful weapon we possess. It is taking our concerns and our struggles exactly to where they should be -- placed at God's feet, in God's hands. There is nothing more powerful and reassuring than that. No amount of our worrying can provide the peace and remarkable change that comes from surrendering our worries to God in prayer.

Philippians 4:6 says "Don't worry about anything; instead pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank Him for all He has done." Amen. The passage goes on to say that "peace that surpasses all understanding will guard our hearts and minds in Jesus Christ." (Philippians 4:7) And that's an incredibly important piece -- that's where satan attacks us: in our hearts and with our thoughts. This peace, given by the reassurance of God's truth and unfailing love, is essential in protecting ourselves against negative thoughts that keep us from seeing ourselves and others the way God sees us.

Prayer is incredibly powerful, and bonds people together in a way nothing else can.

In Ephesians 6:18 Paul emphasizes the incredible necessity for continued prayer for each other: "Pray in the Spirit at all times and on every occasion. Stay alert and be persistent in your prayers for all believers everywhere."

James 5:13-17 also discusses the impact of prayer on lives, and the essentiality of prayer in our lives: "Are any of you suffering hardships? You should pray. Are any of you happy? You should sing praises. Are any of you sick? You should call for the elders of the church to come and pray over you, anointing you with oil in the name of the Lord. Such a prayer offered in faith will heal the sick, and the Lord will make you well. And if you have committed any sins, you will be forgiven.
Confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The earnest prayer of a righteous person has great power and produces wonderful results. Elijah was as human as we are, and yet when he prayed earnestly that no rain would fall, none fell for three and a half years! Then, when he prayed again, the sky sent down rain and the earth began to yield its crops."

Prayer is powerful because it takes us to the cross. When we surrender all our worries (for ourselves and others) to God, He can take those worries and create change. The central piece of prayer is God. Prayer is not a powerful act in and of itself -- it is powerful because we are committing ourselves to our Father, we are trusting fully in His power to change our circumstances and our hearts, and believing that in His goodness, He will answer our prayers in whichever way is healthiest for us.

Praying for each other is ESSENTIAL. I do not want to fall short in this area anymore. If I am to truly love my sisters and brothers, I need to commit to praying for them earnestly. I can't just skim over their needs on the way to the monologue of my own. Nope. Not acceptable anymore. It's time for me to wake up and fight for the ones I love by bringing their struggles to the cross, to the One who can make everything right, and Who makes everything new, through the power of prayer.

Amen!