The Power of Prayer

"One day Jesus was praying in a certain place.

When he finished, 

one of his disciples said to him,

'Lord, teach us to pray,

just as John taught his disciples.'

He said to them, 'When you pray, say:

Father,

hallowed be your name,

your kingdom come.

Give us each day our daily bread.

Forgive us our sins,

for we also forgive everyone who sins against us.

And lead us not into temptation.'"

Luke 11:1-4

I have gone through phases in my prayer life throughout my walk with Christ.  I started off in the beginning boldly telling God what I thought should happen.  As He began the humbling process, I felt uncomfortable telling Him what to do and began praying for His will to be done.  That too felt wrong.  I wondered, What's the point of me praying if I just tell God to go ahead and do what He's going to do?  Then I went through a phase where I struggled with praying, trying to balance the two extremes.  Now I am at a place where I share my inner struggles, my praise for Him, my dreams and hopes and pray that His name would be glorified as He brings me and others around to where He wants us to be.

Prayer is powerful.  I read in James 5:16 just how powerful and effective the prayers are of those who follow Jesus.  The purpose of prayer, however, is not only to bring about change.  The reason I pray is to bring God into every part of my life, to share my heart with Him and to submit my will to His, allowing Him to work a miracle in my heart.  Just as honestly opening up to my husband will strengthen the bond we have together, so does keeping lines of communication open with my heavenly Father.  

What is the purpose of prayer?  After all, I can't change the course of God's plan, nor should I want to.  Instead, prayer has a way of aligning me with Him, and opening up the pipeline between me and God that will deliver His flow of grace, love and mercy into my life.

Submission

If you spend any time around toddlers, you find out that the human will is strong.  There is nothing more satisfying to a 2-year-old than for them to do something all by themselves.  This independence builds a strong sense of self-worth as the tot realizes he has some ability to care for himself, even if it just means pulling on a pair of pants, or going potty by himself.  Humans want to feel useful and self-sufficient.

Prayer has a way of putting me in my place and reminding me of the proper order of things.  God is above all, and He is the source of all good things in my life.  (James 1:17)  It's easy for me to forget that and believe that my hard worked earned me my position, that my smarts and good planning resulted in a nice place to live or that my children's success is because I'm a natural-born mother.

When I talk to God, He has a way of reminding me that not only is He the source of everything, but I am completely at His mercy.  If He takes His hand off of me, I will fall.

Oswald Chambers challenges me to stay in close relationship with Jesus in order to keep properly submitted to Him as my Lord.  As I bow before Him, I am admitting that I need Him to perform a supernatural work through me.  Without Him, His commands are impossible.  "The Sermon on the Mount is not an ideal, it is a statement of what will happen in me when Jesus Christ has altered by disposition and put in a disposition like His own.  Jesus Christ is the only One who can fulfill the Sermon on the Mount."

Prayer reminds me of the source of my provision and from where the power comes to do as He asks.  God uses our conversations together to remind me that He is my all in all, and that without Him, I am nothing. (1 Corinthians 15:28, John 15:5)

One of the purposes of prayer is for God to remind me of my proper place in perspective to Him.

Humility

I am not naturally humble.  I am self-conscious, self-aware, self-absorbed and self-centered.  Everything I see, hear, read and feel is filtered through my brain which somehow colors it with my own point-of-view.  I am not objective because I tend to only see the world as it relates to me.  My opinions are formed based on my past, my experiences and my world-view.  Even though I have been known to have a low-view of myself, I have a pride problem.  I can't seem to see God for who He is and what He can do, apart from me.

As I talk to God, though, He has a way of humbling me; opening my eyes to see how my actions have affected people I claim to love.  He widens my vision to include others instead of only me.  He shows me where I owe forgiveness to someone who hurt me, and where I need to ask for forgiveness from one I hurt. Prayer humbles me.

My life is often filled with activities that seem to be good things to do.  There are ministries to run, people to encourage, new believers to disciple and the list goes on.  I often feel pressure to do for God, but take very little time to be with God.  As I spend time with Him, He shows me what He wants me to do and what needs to be cut out.  He usually surprises me with how little it is He wants me to do and how much He covets my time alone with Him.  When He was here on earth, Jesus spent much time in communion with His Father. (Mark 1:35, Luke 6:12, Mark 14;32-34) 

Martin Luther, sixteenth-century leader of the Reformation, said, "I have often learned more in one prayer than I have been able to glean from much reading and reflection."  As I spend time with my Creator, He uses those interludes to humble me and shape me into the young woman He has created me to be.

Another of the purposes of prayer is to give God a chance to chisel away my pride and fleshly ways to make more room for Him.

Defenseless

His fingers flashed across the keyboard as he searched for the information he needed to complete his homework assignment.  Suddenly, a vulgar and disgusting image flashed before him, catching him off-guard.  Curious, he took a closer look, trying to decipher the picture before him.  He'd never seen such a thing.  What is this all about? he wondered.  Should I ask my mom?  

There's no doubt about it: our children are vulnerable in the fast-moving, merciless world of cyberspace.  Stories surface on a daily basis of children who were lured by pedophiles, perverts or psychopaths bent on using the innocent for their own evil purposes.  Unsuspecting as they are, the uninformed child makes the best victims.  Consequently, a wise parent teaches his child what he needs to know to stand firm against the darkness that is lurking.  It's not so different with me and God.

As a child of God, I, too, am left defenseless against the insidious temptations that constantly plague me.  My flesh easily succumbs to the tiniest bit of pressure to do what comes naturally.  All I need is the smallest amount of doubt and I'll do things my way instead of God's.  

Thankfully, God is my source of protection against temptation, standing ready to help in times of trouble.  He is my, "refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble." (Psalm 46:1)  The thing about a sanctuary is that I need to take shelter within it in order for it to do any good.  Just knowing that a storm shelter exists, for example, doesn't do anything to protect me from a tornado if I don't hide myself within it's strong walls when the warning comes.

In the same way I must seek out God as soon as temptation strikes.  When I feel the need to lash out at someone in my own defense, it is important that I open up the lines of communication with my Refuge.    When doubts begin to rise up, God will strike them down with the truth if I take shelter in the shadow of His wings.  When I'm ready to give up because the struggle has seemingly become insurmountable, going to my source of protection will give Him a chance to remind me of the greater purpose for my difficulties.  Then, I can use His strength to stand firm upon His promises.

One of the important purposes of prayer is that it gives me a weapon against temptation.

Prayer is not just about me telling God what to do or letting Him have His way.  It is so much more powerful than that.  Prayer reminds me of my proper place in submission to God, that I have much forgiveness to offer and receive and that without God I have no defense against temptation.  Prayer is not about me manipulating God, but about God transforming me as I grow closer to Him.

As I begin this day it is my prayer that I can remember that prayer has the power to bring me closer to God.

When do I treat prayer like a chore instead of as the lifeline that it is?

How do I try to stand up to temptations by myself instead of using God as my refuge against them?