Have you ever thought about just how powerful prayer is?  The Bible is filled with references to the power of prayer.  Prayer by individuals, in groups, persistently, and prayer in faith are all singled out as having tremendous power.  Sometimes I wonder if we really believed in how powerful prayer is if we wouldn’t do a LOT more praying and less worrying about other things.  Certainly God calls us to act, to live, and to share His love with others.  He also calls us to pray and see what He will do.  Let’s look together at one such passage on prayer found in James 5.

13 Is anyone among you in trouble? Let them pray. Is anyone happy? Let them sing songs of praise. 14 Is anyone among you sick? Let them call the elders of the church to pray over them and anoint them with oil in the name of the Lord. 15 And the prayer offered in faith will make the sick person well; the Lord will raise them up. If they have sinned, they will be forgiven. 16 Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective. 17 Elijah was a human being, even as we are. He prayed earnestly that it would not rain, and it did not rain on the land for three and a half years. 18 Again he prayed, and the heavens gave rain, and the earth produced its crops.

God says that our prayers are powerful and effective.  He asks us to come to Him in prayer and seek Him with our needs and desires.  Prayer also helps us to be in the proper mindset of just how very much we need God.  It is easy to at times in life become “independent”.  The reality is however that we are always dependent upon God.  Prayer helps us restore this balance and reality in our lives.  My prayer for us all is that we would be a people of prayer.  That we would cry out top God consistently and passionately.  Watch and see what He does when we do just that!

In His Grip,
Pastor Dave