We have a great blessing – prayer. Prayer has power! It connects us with the Lord of the Universe, Jesus Christ. We are to pray, to trust and obey, and He promises to take care of us. Jesus taught us to pray daily (Matthew 6:11).
Does prayer actually change things? Well here in the Burt Presbyterian church we believe in the power and impact of prayer. How about you? Do you personally believe that?
The Bible gives many examples of God’s intervention in the lives of those who seek Him and trust in Him! Note the example of the prophet Daniel: "Now when Daniel knew that the writing was signed, he went home. And in his upper room, with his windows open toward Jerusalem, he knelt down on his knees three times that day, and prayed and gave thanks before his God, as was his custom since early days" (Daniel 6:10). Daniel was thrown into the lion’s den, but God rescued prayerful Daniel and preserved his life (vv. 11–12)!
Your Bible also reveals the power of prayer. Many recall that Jesus’ prayer raised Lazarus from the dead (cf. John 11). But His disciples also experienced such power in prayer. When the Apostle Peter was in Joppa, he saw a dead Christian woman, much beloved by the widows who mourned her death. We read that "Peter put them [the mourning widows] all out, and knelt down and prayed. And turning to the body he said, ‘Tabitha, arise.’ And she opened her eyes, and when she saw Peter she sat up. Then he gave her his hand and lifted her up; and when he had called the saints and widows, he presented her alive. And it became known throughout all Joppa, and many believed on the Lord" (Acts 9:40–42). Yes, the Apostle Peter raised a woman from death!
"But these were great men of faith," you may say. "What if I don’t have that much faith?" God’s Word gives us the good news that we can have faith. Your faith grows by hearing and reading and studying the Word of God (Romans 10:17)
We can grow in faith as we read the Bible. Hebrews 11 is called the "faith chapter." Here we read about the men and women of faith. You can have faith in God. God promises that if you seek Him sincerely, you will find Him: "But without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him" (Hebrews 11:6).
Martin Luther said: God our Father has made all things depend on faith so that whoever has faith will have everything, and whoever does not have faith will have nothing.
But first you will have to acknowledge the existence of an all-wise, all-powerful Creator God who loves you and every human on earth! We read: "Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. For by it the elders obtained a good testimony. By faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the word of God, so that the things which are seen were not made of things which are visible" (Hebrews 11:1–3).
Let what the Bible says become a part of your being and the way yout live:, Without faith, it is impossible to please God, for he who comes to God must believe that He is God, and a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him (Hebrews 11:6).
Faith is to believe what we do not see; and the reward of this faith is to see what we believe. said the great theologiuan Augustine
Therefore, expectation is the key to receiving from God when you pray. Jesus said in Mark 11:24, Whatsoever things you desire when you pray, believe you receive them and you shall have them.
Believe you receive when you pray! What good does it do to pray without expecting to receive? You might as well not pray at all, for faith is required to receiving what you desire.
Surely, God will do His part when we pray, but we must also do our part. Our part is simply to believe. So many people are busy asking God, but never really believing what they are praying for will come to pass. You can tell by the way they talk, or act. But the Bible says you must believe that HE REWARDS YOU WHEN YOU DILIGENTLY SEEK HIM!
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