Prayer. So often we struggle to pray. It’s hard when sometimes you never see the results of your prayer, and often it feels like you pray for something and it doesn’t happen….so what’s the point? Why bother?
I know I’ve fallen into this trap SO many times. Countless times of thinking about praying, but never actually doing so because I underestimate the POWER of prayer. For all I know, I could just be saying pointless words drifting off into thin air.
BUT I’m not. You know why? Because I believe in the power of prayer. I believe that God hears my prayers. He hears your prayers. He hears your cries for help, your tears of frustration and your anger for things not going the way you had hoped or planned. He hears. He knows your hurts, your regrets, your frustrations, your hopes, your dreams, your fears. He knows it all! We pray then? Why do we pray when God knows it all anyway?
We pray to invite God. When we pray, we experience a relationship with God, growth in our faith and dependency on him.
Relationship: Did you know that even though God could do everything without us, he actually invites us to work together with him! We have the privilege of being partnered with God to do his work on earth!
Growth: God grows us in our faith when we pray. When we don’t receive something we asked for straight away, God grows us and strengthens us. Sometimes we need to search our heart to see if something is hindering God’s answer.
Dependency: If we never had to pray and God just did everything we asked, we would never depend on God.
I want to focus though particularly on the power of prayer. I recently watched a movie called, “War Room” by Alex Kendrick. It is an INCREDIBLE film and I highly recommend it. It really reveals the power of simple, unhurried, regular prayer and the difference it makes. It reveals the attempts of the devil in trying to ruin families and relationships. And while we can’t underestimate the power the devil has in destroying the things around us we love, we actually have a God who is IMMENSELY BIGGER and POWERFULLY STRONGER than any attack of the devil. And we have a weapon which can DEFEAT and DESTROY the works of the enemy. It’s PRAYER. Prayer is POWERFUL! Do you believe that?
Ever wonder WHY sometimes you don’t want to pray? You feel like your prayers won’t be answered? What’s the point? The devil knows the power of prayer. He understands how detrimental it is to his work. How much his attempts will be ruined if only we were to pray….so he is trying his best to stop you from praying. But don’t focus on how much power he has, focus on how much power you have through prayer – you have God on your side and therefore nothing is impossible! You are on the winning, victorious team! So act like it! This means your prayers are powerful because you are teamed up with God – you win! Now, this doesn’t mean that every prayer you pray will be answered the way you want it to be answered. I don’t know why God says yes to some prayers and no to others, but what I do know is that God is good all the time and he knows what is best for us. He has plans to give us hope and a future (Jeremiah 29:11). You see, God has 3 answers to prayer:
He says yes and gives you what you want
He says no and gives you something better
He says wait and gives you the best
James 5:16 says, “The prayer of a person living right with God is something powerful to be reckoned with.”
So I encourage you, get ready to fight. Start the battle. Pray for your friends. Pray for your relationships. Pray for your marriage. Pray for your family. Pray for the homeless. Pray for orphans. Pray against war. Pray for peace. Pray for healing. Pray against the enemy, and watch your world change.
And remember, if God is on your side, YOU WIN!
Tess XO
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