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?

The Watchman

"If the watchman sees the sword coming 

and does not blow the trumpet

to warn the people

and the sword comes and takes the life of one of them,

that man will be taken away because of his sin,

but I will hold the watchman accountable for his blood."

Ezekiel 33:6

During Medieval times, a watchman kept post on the city wall or other high place, constantly on the lookout for any signs of danger.  If a threat was perceived, the watchman would sound an alarm to warn the people.

In the same way, Ezekiel was called to be a watchman for the house of Israel.  As a prophet, it was his job to relay messages from God to the people, warning them to turn from their wicked ways or face the consequences.

Today we have many messages from this watchman to help keep us on alert, but like the people of Ezekiel's time, we say, "'Come and hear the message that has come from the LORD.'" (Ezekiel 33:30b)  Then God revealed the truth when He told the prophet that, "My people come to you, as they usually do, and sit before you to listen to your words, but they do not put them into practice.  With their mouths they express devotion, but their hearts are greedy for unjust gain." (verse 31)

How do we stay on-task during such evil times?  It is easy to get sucked into the way of thinking, living and speaking like the world around us.  Temptations are everywhere.  But I am not left without defense.  The Apostle Paul reminds me that, ". . . in Christ we who are many form one body, and each member belongs to all the others." (Romans 12:5)

We are placed in community to help each other keep from danger and we are each accountable to one another for our actions.  

Confession

We sat on the porch, enjoying the coolness of the evening.  Well, maybe my friend was enjoying it, but my insides were twisted into a knot.  God had put it on my heart to confess a certain area of sin to my sister in Christ.  Now, as the time came near to " 'fess up", I considered backing out.  What will she think of me?  

My gracious friend received the news with love and mercy.  And as I relieved myself from the burden, I found something else to be true: After I confessed, it was as if a burden had been lifted. No longer was this a deep, dark secret. . . it was out in the open.  

Incredibly, that confession was the end of that sin.  Once I revealed the dark secret and let the Light shine upon it, that sin no longer had power over me and the temptation to succumb had vanished.  


James addressed this area of acknowledgement of sin to one another in his letter to the believers scattered among the nations.  In reminding us of the importance of prayer he said, ". . .confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed.  The prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective." (James 5:16)


I had experienced this healing that James spoke about.  Exposing my sin to the Light gave my sister the opportunity to pray for me, putting into motion the power of God in my life.  In turn, she was also able to fulfill the law of Christ by carrying my burden. (Galatians 6:2)


If I am to be accountable to my brother or sister in Christ, I will need to be honest about my areas of sin.  Confession leads to a relief of my burden and healing in this area of sin.

Live out Loud

I have heard it said that hurting people are more likely to unload their burdens at the local bar than in church.  One reason is because they won't find any condemnation in the saloon, but another explanation is that people are more authentic when they're out having a good time than they would be when they're sitting in church.  For some reason, we seem to think we need to be on our best behavior in church, putting up a front that everything is okay and I'm actually a pretty decent human being.

This runs counter to the message of the gospel!  "While we were still sinners, Christ died for us."  (Romans 5:8)  We don't have to be clean and perfect in order to step foot in church.  Instead, God accepts us as we are, flaws and all.  He redeemed me from the clutches of death by no effort or sense of worth on my part.  It is not my worthiness that makes me able to come into the presence of God.  Rather, it is the blood of Jesus that makes me clean and able to come into His company.

Why, then, do I insist on pretending that I'm someone I'm not?  Why do I think I need to be perfect in order to be acceptable enough to worship God in a group setting?  The church is made up of a bunch of broken people!  Until I can be honest enough to live transparently, openly admitting to my sins, the church will never feel like a safe place to confess areas of struggle.

As the Apostle Paul told the group of believers at Colosse, "Do not lie to each other, since you have taken off your old self with its practices and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge in the image of its Creator."  (Colossians 3:9-10)

I am a work in progress, and as such will have many rough spots left to be smoothed by my Master Potter.  I am no longer condemned, therefore I am free from the fear of punishment from my sin.  There is no need for me to hide my struggles, except to save face.  My pride encourages me to pretend I'm better than I am, but that kind of effort can be exhausting.  The sobering thought is that the One whose opinion of me should matter most, is the One who already know my heart.  I'm not fooling Him.. . and I'm probably not pulling the wool over anyone else's eyes, either.

If my reputation is more important to me than living in the way God intended, then I will be robbed of the blessing and peace found in living transparently with my family.

Submission  

There is nothing more humiliating and embarrassing to a parent than their children fighting and bickering in public.  I remember one family who I met when we were decorating the tree in the Army chapel we had just started attending.  I actually hadn't even met them, but had already formed an opinion about the lack of cohesiveness and respect within their family by observing the way the teenage sisters interacted with each other.  

"You're so stupid.  Why are you even here?"

"Shut up!  Just leave me alone, you moron!"

Their bickering lowered a blanket of negativity over the otherwise festive gathering.

As dramatic as the above scenario seemed, it pales in comparison to the kind of fights that take place today within the body of Christ.  Arguments range from disputes over the color of carpeting to be installed in the foyer to the kind of study that should be used on Wednesday evening services.  The world outside shakes it's head in disgust, not surprised that those who act "holier than thou" are really just as bad as the rest of us.

James reveals the reasons for our bickering.  He said, "What causes fights and quarrels among you?  Don't they come from your desires that battle within you?  You want something but don't get it."  (James 1:1-2)  

The Apostle Paul reveals the antidote to fighting.  "Submit to one another out of reverence for Christ." (Ephesians 5:21)  If I let Brother Tom have his way with the choice of carpet color, I am showing respect for Jesus, who is the head of the Church.  If I insist on doing things the way I want and dig my heals in, I am saying through my actions that getting my way is more important that Christ. 

When I get along with the Body of Christ, God is lifted high to those who are watching. Therefore, I am instructed to, "become blameless and pure, children of God without fault in a crooked and depraved generation, in which your shine like stars in the universe as you hold out the word of life." (Philippians 2:15-16)

I should not give unbelievers something to talk about in the way I interact with my family.  If I insist on getting my way, I will cause a disagreement or argument, making Jesus look bad.

Submitting to my brothers and sisters in Christ is an influential testimony to the power of God found in the gospel.

I am accountable for my actions to the family of God.  Consequently, I can learn to openly confess my sins when appropriate, live my life transparently for all to see the grace of God, and to submit to others out of reverence for Christ.

I can either live for my own best interest, or I can live as God intended.   Only one way will glorify Him. 

As I begin this day it is my prayer that I will live as God intended.

How do I put up a front of perfection instead of letting others see my faults?

When do I tend to take a stand for something that will not glorify God, but will simply serve to get me what I want?