Power of prayer
Jesus said things about prayer that are almost shocking to read if you’ve been a Christian a while and have attended the average prayer meeting. Let me just remind you of some of them:
Ask and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened. Matt 7:7-8
And He said to them, “Because of the littleness of your faith; for truly I say to you, if you have faith the size of a mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move; and nothing will be impossible to you. Matt 17:20
Again I say to you, that if two of you agree on earth about anything that they may ask, it shall be done for them by My Father who is in heaven. Matt 18:19
And Jesus answered and said to them, “Truly I say to you, if you have faith and do not doubt, you will not only do what was done to the fig tree, but even if you say to this mountain, ‘Be taken up and cast into the sea,’ it will happen. And all things you ask in prayer, believing, you will receive.” Matt 21:21-22
And Jesus answered saying to them, “Have faith in God. Truly I say to you, whoever says to this mountain, ‘Be taken up and cast into the sea,’ and does not doubt in his heart, but believes that what he says is going to happen, it will be granted him. Therefore I say to you, all things for which you pray and ask, believe that you have received them, and they will be granted you.” Mark 11:22-24
Whatever you ask in My name, that will I do, so that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If you ask Me anyting in My name, I will do it. John 14:13-14
If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you. John 15:7
Truly, truly, I say to you, if you ask the Father for anything in My name, He will give it to you. Until now you have asked for nothing in My name; ask and you will receive, so that your joy may be made full. John 16:23-24
I submit that we don’t really believe any of these statements - not if we’ve been a Christian a while and have gotten used to the powerless prayers of today’s church. Obviously, there are conditions to answered prayer: you have to be a Christian abiding in Christ, you have to pray in the will of God, you have to pray with a pure heart. But I don’t think we acutally believe God will answer our prayers - I know I don’t. So I’m asking the Lord to teach me to pray and to help my unbelief. And I’m taking a page out of Steve Pavlina’s website: I’m committing myself to praying for a list of 20 things every day for 90 days. I have a full range of items: ongoing requests for spiritual growth and discernment for specific believers, practical needs for others and me, our leaders and nation, ministries at our church, salvation for unbelievers. I’ll report on God’s movement regarded my requested items every 30 days. As the Lord answers prayer, I’ll replace those items with other items. Please let me know if you would like to join me in this spiritual journey.