Prayer: Where's the Power?

Why pray? That is a question many wrestle with...are you one of them? We feel that sometimes our prayers are just going out into existence and no further. Often we presume that a person who holds those views is a non-Christian. However, even Christians will go through this struggle sometimes.

Maybe that feeling is because we really don't believe that God exists - He might "kind of" exist, but still you're not convinced. Or the feeling comes from lack of any "answered prayers." You've prayed for certain things to happen and they just do not happen the way you want them to turnout.

Those kinds of situations can make it challenging on our faith. It takes some maturing to realize that every prayer is not going to turn out the way you desire it. Instances like that make it challenging to see any power in prayer.

As we ponder the power of prayer, here are some applications to choose from to use this week...

• Examples ~ Ponder or investigate people who have prayed for things to happen (maybe that shouldn't have happened naturally) and they did, seeming like it was a miracle. If you would look into the prayers that have had "miraculous" results, it may convince you into the power of prayer. One biblical example is about King Hezekiah (II Kings 2:1-11) where the sun goes back ten steps...only through God.
• Maturity ~ You pray in instances such as a loved one who is dying, making the final shot, improving your grades, meeting "Mr./Mrs. Right," or the storm to not harm your house and in all the cases they don't turn out the way you want them to. No power in those prayers or possible something else? To see that prayers are not going to always be affirmative takes maturity to realize that. Just because God does not answer the way you would like doesn't mean there is no power in prayer.
• Trust ~ We must trust that God will take our prayers and do with it what He deems best. Cast your cares on Him (Philippians 4:6-7). We also must trust that God's timing is perfect. We sometimes have a difficulty waiting for God to "respond" and we can become frustrated. Let Him work things out...Trust in Him! Lean not on our own understanding (Proverbs 3:5).

There is a lot of power in prayer if we will simply open our minds and eyes to see it! May we see that as we go into our immediate future.

Have a great week!