“Of what infinite importance is the place the intercessor holds in the Kingdom of God! Is it not indeed a matter of wonder that God should give men such power? Yet there are so few who know what it is to take hold of His strength and pray down His blessing on the world.” E. M. Bounds
The power of prayer is in the One to whom we pray. God holds the power. Praying to Him is one conduit to His power. It's like a lamp. The lamp doesn't have power, though it shows light. The cord doesn't have power—it's just the conduit. Prayer is a conduit to the greatest source of Power in the universe.
God is all powerful: "For nothing will be impossible with God" (Luke 1:37).
We are invited to pray. In fact, in Luke 18:1 we read, "And he [Jesus] told them a parable to the effect that they ought always to pray and not lose heart." Hebrews 4:14–16 talks about Jesus as our High Priest and says He can sympathize with us. Hebrews 4:16 says, "Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need." We have been given access to the very throne of God through prayer.
We are commanded to pray. First Thessalonians 5:16–18 says, "Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you." Philippians 4:6–7 and Ephesians 6:18 have similar exhortations.
We are also taught to pray, for example, in the Lord's Prayer. "Pray then like this: 'Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name. Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil'" (Matthew 6:9–13).
When we pray, our fears can be settled. When we pray, our faith can grow. When we pray, we can rest. When we pray, we can be at peace. When we pray, we can hand over our concerns to God. When we pray, we can gain confidence from the One who created us. When we pray, we can be healed. When we pray, we can receive guidance and direction. Again, the power is not in the prayer, but in the God to whom we pray.
We can be confident that God hears our prayers (Psalm 18:6; 1 John 5:14–15) and He answers our prayers according to His will (Psalm 17:6; 34:17; John 14:12–14; Luke 11:13; 1 John 5:15; James 1:5; 4:2–10; 5:13–18) regardless of how deep or how small our faith appears to be (Matthew 17:20; Acts 12).
Our access to God is made through Jesus, who came and died to save us (John 3:16–18; Hebrews 4:14–16; 10:19–23). When we claim Him as our Savior, our access to God is ensured. We can go with confidence to God.
"Such is the confidence that we have through Christ toward God. Not that we are sufficient in ourselves to claim anything as coming from us, but our sufficiency is from God" (2 Corinthians 3:4–5). Prayer is a privilege God grants His children. The power of prayer is God Himself—our loving and completely capable Father.
Thinking about our ability to access this awesome power should help us see the urgency before us. Proclaiming Christ to a lost and wicked world.
God listens and remembers every prayer we pray, and every one of them prayed through the power of the Holy Spirit can have a beneficial effect on earth. Not one prayer is forgotten. When we realize the authority we have in prayer, mighty things will happen all over the earth that brings honor and glory to the powerful name of Jesus.
We want to change the world for Christ. In fact as Christians, it’s our primary purpose. It’s a huge task for all of us, but we do it one life at a time. Some are reaching people in their workplace or in another country. Some are reaching people in the hospitals or in the schools. We are all in this together.
Our most essential tool in accomplishing God’s Will is prayer. Only through prayer can we get the job done. There is strength and power in prayer that can change the world.
Prayer… Moves the Hand of God!
