Points on Prayer

James 5:16 reports “the effective prayer of a righteous man can accomplish much". Prayer is powerful. We need to pray at all times. There is so much that will never happen in your life and mine apart from fervent and focused prayer!

What are some examples?  

1. Abraham's servant prayed, and Rebekah appeared.

2. Jacob wrestled and prayed, and Esau's mind was turned from twenty years of revenge.

3. Moses prayed, and Amalek was struck.

4. Hannah prayed, and Samuel was born; and her enemy, Peninah was confounded.

5. Isaiah and Hezekiah prayed, and in twelve hours one hundred eighty-five thousand Assyrians were slain.

6. Elijah prayed, and there were three years of drought; he prayed again, and the rain came. 

PRAYER CHANGES THE WAY GOD ACTS. 

The practice of prayer has:

• Brought forth water from a baked rock in a trackless desert (Moses),

• Split the waters of the Jordan (Elijah, Elisha and Joshua),

• Subdued the strength of fire (three Hebrews),

• It has bridled the rage of lions (Daniel),

• Hushed the anarchy of the Egyptian mob (Moses),

• Extinguished the terrors of wars (Hezekiah on Sennacherib),

• Calmed the raging storms (Christ),

• Expelled the occupation of demons (Paul on girl of Philippi),

• Burst the chains of death (Elijah, Peter, Paul & Christ ),

• Unlocked the doors of prisons (Peter by the saints),

• Expanded the borders of the Kingdom (Lord of harvest, laborers ),

• Cut short the ravages of disease (Peter for Dorcas),

• Exposed fakes (Peter on Ananias & Saphira),

• Saved cities from destruction (Jonah on Ninevah),

• Held the Sun in the sky (Joshua at Gibeon),

• Dried the skies of rain (Elijah on Ahab).

Prayer is...

• An all sufficient supply of power,

• An endless vein of treasures to be mined,

• An overflowing spring that never runs dry,

• A glorious view of heaven that can never be obscured,

• A place of peace never invaded and

• A fountain of blessing never exhausted!

GOD RESPONDS TO PRAYER

Positive Power of Words

I came across an interesting yet true story about the author of one of my favorite novels, Nathaniel Hawthorne.

Nathaniel Hawthorne came home heartbroken. He’d just been fired from his job in the custom house. His wife, rather than responding with anxiety, surprised him with joy. “Now you can write your book!”

He wasn’t so positive. “And what shall we live on while I’m writing it?”

To his amazement she opened a drawer and revealed a wad of money she’d saved out of her housekeeping budget. “I always knew you were a man of genius,” she told him. “I always knew you’d write a masterpiece.”

She believed in her husband. And because she did, he wrote. And because he wrote, every library in America has a copy of The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne.

The Hidden and prevailing lesson I carry away from Hawthorne's biography is that we have the power to change someone’s life simply by the words we speak and write. “Death and life are in the power of the tongue.” We often misinterpret these words, typically employing them for our own selfish promotions and proclivities. But behind these words of Solomon are a simple, yet profound truth and reality...there is power in words. All of my life I have loved and enjoyed paper, words, writings and books. My love for books is something that comes naturally: My father, my paternal grandfather, and my great-grandmother...just to name a few, are and/or were lovers of words and books. I look on with such nostalgia and internal joy as I see my sons cultivating a love for books and reading. I hope and pray this continues. Many of my teachers, professors and peers have encouraged me, through the years, to think about one day writing. My current chaplain supervisor has stressed his desire to see me 'move toward the possibility of publication'. I would almost agree were it not for my own tendency to be overly critical of myself, coupled with my tendency to procrastinate when I'm uncertain of the ambiguous. Many moons ago, one of my seminary professors encouraged me to become a 'blogger'. Little did I know the underlying challenges and discipline that are connected to a blog. I'm definitely sporadic, but love it when I make time to record and chronicle my thoughts. I hope to do better!

My hope and prayer, during this stage of my life, is to have FAITH to know that my WORDS are meaningful and significant; and have the power to change lives.

In borrowing a popular Max Lucado favorite of mine, an example of this form of faith was found on the wall of a concentration camp. On it a prisoner had carved the words:
I believe in the sun, even though it doesn’t shine.
I believe in love, even when it isn’t shown.
I believe in God, even when he doesn’t speak.