The document discusses the power of prayer. It argues that the power of prayer comes from God, not from any words or actions on our part. It provides several biblical examples of how God hears prayers and answers according to His will. The power of prayer places us in contact with the almighty God, and we should expect almighty results, whether or not our specific requests are granted. Christians are urged to pray consistently and in accordance with God's desires.

1. How powerful is the Power of Prayer – 19th May 2017
“Inmy distress I calledto the LORD; I cried to my Godfor help. Fromhis temple he heard my voice; my
cry came before him,intohis ears” (Psalm18:6).
The ideathat powerisinherentinprayerisa verypopularone.Accordingtothe Bible,the powerof
prayeris,quite simply,the powerof God,whohearsand answersprayer.I believethatthe powerof
prayeris firstfeltinsideof us.It'sa sense of God'sconsent, whenwe pray and know deepinourhearts
that our communicationhasbeenestablished! AsChristianswe know that Godhasassentedtoour
callingforHishelpand made itpossible throughone’srelationshipthatwe have withHim.ButHe
decideswhen,where andwhatwe needbecause He isnotour magicwand. We experience the powerof
God whenwe sense God'sassenttoour seeking andthe resultingbenefitfromsame.Butimportantlyas
Christianswe needtobearinmindthat God has beenreachingoutforus all along…Itiswe whohave
distancedourselvesandnotworkedatdevelopingthe close relationshipthatHe desirestohave with
each andeveryone of us.
The powerof prayeristhe powerthatcomesto us whenwe realize thatGodcan be our pointof
reference.Inthe midstof all the confusionsof ourdailylives, ourfaithshouldbe with the steadfastness
of God provision ratherthanthe incomplete,fragile inconstanciesof ourselves.It'sthe powerthat
comeswhenwe're able tobe centered,anchoredinbelief androotedinTruth of God’s word. Consider
the followingpassages:
1). The Lord God Almightycando all things;there isnothingimpossibleforHim aswe have an assurance
fromLuke 1:37: “For no word fromGodwill ever fail.”
2). The Lord God AlmightyinvitesHispeopletoprayto Him.
2.1. OurPrayersto God shouldbe made persistently aswe can learnfrom Luke 18:1,“Then Jesus toldhis
disciplesaparable to showthem that they shouldalwayspray and not give up.” 2.2. Our Prayers
shouldbe made withthanksgivingasstatedinPhilippians4:6,“Donotbe anxiousaboutanything,but
in every situation,by prayer andpetition,with thanksgiving,presentyour requests to God.”2.3.Our
prayersneedtobe done infaith:“Ifanyof you lackswisdom,you shouldaskGod,who gives
generouslyto all withoutfindingfault,anditwill be givento you.” (James 1:5). 2.4. Our prayerrequest
needtobe withinthe will of God andthe requestneedtobe for the gloryof God as we can learnwhen
Jesussaidin John14:13-14, “AndI will do whatever you ask inmy name, so that the Father may be
glorifiedinthe Son. 14
Youmay ask me for anythinginmy name, andI will do it.”2.5. ImportantlyOur
prayershouldbe coming froma heartrightwithGod as statedin James 5:16, “Therefore confessyour
sinsto each other andpray for each other so that you may be healed.The prayer of a righteousperson
is powerful andeffective.”
3) The Lord God Almightyhearsthe prayersof Hischildren.He commandsusto pray,and He promises
to listenwhenwe do asthe Psalmistsays: “Inmy distressI calledto the LORD; I cried to my Godfor
help. Fromhis temple he heard my voice; my cry came before him, intohis ears” (Psalm18:6).
4) The Lord God Almightyanswersprayer asstatedin Psalm17:6,“I call on you, O God,for youwill
answer me.” Whenwe live arighteous life,we canbe certainhe hears ourprayer anddeliversusassaid
inPsalm34:17, “The righteouscry out,and the LORD hears them; he deliversthem from all their
troubles.”

2. The powerof prayershouldnotbe underestimatedbyanyChristian.We canlearnwhen James5:16-18
declares, "…Theprayerof a righteousman is powerful andeffective. Elijahwas a manjust like us. He
prayed earnestly that it wouldnot rain,andit did not rainon the land forthree and a halfyears.
Againhe prayed, andthe heavensgave rain, andthe earth producedits crops." God most definitely
listenstoprayers,answersprayers,andmovesinresponsetoprayers.We can alsolearnthat Jesussaid:,
"I tell you the truth,if you have faithas small asa mustard seed, youcan say to this mountain,'Move
from here to there' andit will move. Nothingwill be impossibleforyou" (Matthew17:20).The problem
isthat we cannot steadfastlyhave faithevenassmall as a mustard seedalthoughmanyChristiansare
fastto claimas having“absolute faith...”
The powerof prayerisnot the resultof the Pastoror the personpraying.Rather,the powerresidesin
God whois beingprayedto,infaith,forHis provision.We canlearnfrom 1 John5:14-15, "Thisis the
confidencewe have in approachingGod:thatif we ask anythingaccordingto hiswill,he hears us. And
if we know that he hears us - whatever we ask - we knowthat we have whatwe asked ofhim." What
we need toknowis that God answersprayersthatare in agreementwithHiswill.Hisanswers toour
prayersare notalwaysyes, butare alwaysinour bestinterest.Whenourdesiresline upwith His will,
we will come tounderstandthat whateverdelaycausedwasalways inourbestinterest onthe long
term!Whenwe pray passionatelyandpurposefully,accordingtoGod'swill,Godrespondspowerfully!
We cannotaccess powerful prayerbyusing"magicformulas."Ourprayersbeingansweredisnotbased
on the eloquence of ourprayers.We don'thave to use certainwordsor phrasesto getGod to answer
our prayers.In fact, Jesusrebukesthose whoprayusingrepetitions, assaidbyJesus inMatthew 6:7-8,
"Andwhen you pray,do not keep onbabblinglikepagans,for they thinkthey will be heard because of
their many words.Do notbe likethem, for your Father knows whatyou need before you ask him."
Prayeris communicatingwithGod.All youhave todois ask God forHis helpasthe psalmistexplains:
"Then they cried out to the LORD in their trouble,and he brought them out oftheir distress. He stilled
the storm to a whisper; the waves of the sea were hushed.They were gladwhen it grew calm,and he
guidedthem to their desiredhaven."(Psalm107:28-30). There ispowerinprayer!
The powerof prayerdoesnotflowfromus; itis not special wordswe sayor the special waywe say
themor evenhowoftenwe saythem.The powerof prayer isnot basedona certaindirectionwe face or
a certainpositionof ourbodies.The powerof prayerdoesnotcome fromthe use of artifactsor iconsor
candlesor beads.The powerof prayercomesfromthe omnipotentOne whohearsourprayersand
answersthem.Prayerplacesusincontact withAlmightyGod,andwe shouldexpectalmightyresults,
whetherornot He chooses to grant our petitionsordenyourrequests.Whateverthe answertoour
prayers,the God to whomwe pray isthe source of the powerof prayer,andHe can and will answerus,
accordingto His perfectwill andtiming. Thereforethe Bible urgesus, "Andprayinthe Spirit onall
occasionswithall kinds ofprayers and requests. Withthis inmind,be alert andalwayskeep on
praying…" (Ephesians6:18).