A Little Powerful Prayer

Happy Thursday morning! The winter has become a mite strange this year. Minnesota has little snow, but Alaska would be more than glad to share some of theirs. The cooling of a part of the Pacific Ocean makes us warmer? Yup, things are strange in the world. While all this strangeness works itself out, how much power do you see in your prayer? Have you ever failed to pray for something or someone because you thought that it wouldn't do any good? Perhaps the thought came that God will work His sovereign will in any case, so one more prayer is hardly needed. Maybe you have thought that with all of those relatives praying for that sick child, your prayer would be superfluous? Any of us might even see our prayer as a mere drop in the bucket. "I forgot to pray for that person. Oh well, God won't miss one prayer among so many."

I like to think of my prayers as an offering. Certainly Jesus could have fed the thousands without the few loaves and fishes, but what a magnificent offering the boy made with his little lunch. God can heal my friends without my prayers, but what a privilege to let my Father in Heaven know that I am thinking about someone besides myself. The power of one prayer is far more than we realize. A few years ago, we memorized a verse in James: "The prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective." (5:16b) Now we are made righteous in Christ, so doesn't that give us a strong incentive to turn our powerful and effective prayers loose on our friends and neighbors? We can even call upon the Spirit to help us remember all of those needs we hear about. People we don't even know will benefit from our powerful and effective prayers. Turn your one little prayer into an offering to Jesus.

In writing or speaking or even talking to friends it may seem at times that our words are being sucked into a vacuum. In prayer, we not only make immediate contact with the Almighty, but we also have an intercessor in Christ Jesus who makes sure that our prayers are heard just right. Slips of the lip and stumbles of the tongue are smoothed over and we are taught to pray for the right things. The Spirit within us calls out to God the Father and sovereign authority is granted us as heirs of the King of kings. No need to hide from God, bring your prayers boldly before the throne.

Have a beautiful Thursday in Christ!
Bucky