The Power of Prayer

By Guy Baker
When I was a little boy, I was taught the power of prayer. But somehow I got it in my mind that I had a limited number of opportunities to come to God in prayer. In other words, I had better be careful or I would use them up. Then what would I do? So I chose to prayer carefully and only for those things that I thought God would approve.
Imagine the God of this Universe, upon hearing the prayers of young boy saying “Uh oh, there he goes again. Listen, Michael, he’s praying/ How many does he have left now?”
Through the years, I have heard many people try to explain their concept of prayer. There are those who believe God will answer prayer because they are the prayers of a righteous man. Others believe that you have not, because you ask not. Some teach that if you want great prosperity and riches, all you have to do is pray. Still others say the God didn’t answer your prayers because you didn’t pray hard enough, long enough, fervently enough.
We know that God answers some prayers directly. We see immediate evidence of those prayers. Other times, it seems like God is not even listening, because there is no physical or apparent evidence of an answer.
So what is the right way to pray? Is there a right way and a wrong way? Can we pray inappropriately?
I’ll tell you at the start of this, I don’t have all of the answers. I know what the Bible says about prayer, but I have no idea the full scope of prayer. One thing I learned many years ago, we should never put God in a Box. In other words, what may seem true for you, may not be true for others. To draw universal conclusions is folly. Yet, I think there are some basic principles we can cull from the Bible that will guide us in our search for truth.
First, the Bible says that we should pray unceasingly (1 Thess 5:17). Does this mean we should be praying 24 hours a day? Probably not. But it does mean we need to be in communion with God throughout our day. That there is nothing to mundane or small for us to take to God.
Second, the Bible says we are to “love one another.” (1 John 4:7-12). Agape love is the love God gives us when we are His child. It is the evidence that God is in us. Without this love for one another, we must question whether someone is truly a child of God. (1 John 4:20-21)
Third, the Bible says we are to pray boldly, without shame. (Luke 11:8-10). We are told to ask, seek and knock. But these are not single actions, in the Greek they are continuing actions. In other words, never stop.
As I have prayed about these principles, it is clear to me that prayer is the way we show our love for one another. By praying, without ceasing for our Brothers and Sisters, we demonstrate to God our love for them. This glorifies God and draws us into closer fellowship with Him. We are told to ask, seek and knock on the gates of heaven for Him to hear us.
Another important aspect of prayer is understanding the nature of God. According to the Bible, God is omniscient – He knows all from the foundation of time. There are no surprises to God. He knows our prayers, because He gives them to us. (Rom 8:26). When we become believers, we are filled with the Holy Spirit. Our bodies become the Holy of Holies. God resides within us. We grieve God when we sin. We glorify God when we are obedient.
To fellowship with God requires us to be sincere, repentant, contrite. We must pray in faith, believing all things are possible and seeking His will. We must fully submitted to the will of God.
If God foreknew all things, gives us our prayers and has a complete plan for our lives from the foundation of time, why should we pray. What’s the point? Does this mean that our prayers have no meaning? I don’t think so. Just as tribulation produces in us character, perseverance and hope (Rom 5:3), prayer produces obedience, an understanding of God’s will and blessings. Prayer is the means God has provided for us to fully enjoy the fellowship with Him, here on earth.
It seems to me there are several types of prayer.

1. Prayers of thankful giving, praise and our love for God
2. Prayers of intercession for others
3. Prayers of direction and guidance for our life
4. Prayers of supplication, requests for our needs
5. Prayers of desire for our wants.

Prayers of Thanksgiving, praise and love are prayers of fellowship. These expressions of our love come from grateful hearts. God uses our humility and contrition to shape us and mold us into servants. It is through these prayers that we draw close to God and hear His love for us. They encourage us to continue, in faith, to “work out our salvation.”
Prayers of intercession is our expression of love for one another. It is through our concern and love for others that we demonstrate our love for God. Prayers of intercession are throughout the Bible. We see Mary and Martha praying for Lazarus. We see Jesus praying for the disciples. We see Paul praying for the Church and the many believers. The parable in Luke 11 teaches us the importance of being bold in our prayers for others. Again, this is how we show our love for each other is by lifting each other up in prayer.

Prayers of direction and guidance is how God conforms us to the image of His Son. Our sole goal in life, as Christians is to become like Christ. Be perfect as He is Perfect (Matthew 5:48, 1 John 3:2, Eph 1:4, Phil 3:21). The Bible is very clear that God will complete a good work in us and He will be faithful to complete it (Phil 1:6). That good work is to conform us to His image. It is done by trials and tribulation and through prayer and Bible study.
Prayers of Supplication for our needs are a natural part of our life. We are fearful by nature and forever thinking about our own concerns. Phil 4:6 says we are to be anxious for nothing. But in prayer and supplication let your requests be know to God. So God expects us to come to Him with our needs and concerns.
Prayers for our desires are also part of our daily existence. The question is always, are we praying God’s will?
Paul said that he had learned to be content in every circumstance (Phil 4:11). Notice that he learned. Contentment comes from understanding that God has a plan for your life and that He is actively working out your salvation through circumstances. It is our job to obediently respond in each circumstance to the teachings of God and to reflect His glory in our response.
Our challenge is to be like Christ in our daily walk. That means in our business, in our home, in our social activities and when we are alone. This is the challenge of my life. I can tell you there are days when I have great victories over evil and days when my old flesh wins the war the rages with us. My prayer for you is that you will run the good race and stay steadfast in your pursuit of godliness.
Until next time …