There is Power in Prayer

A few weeks ago, while listening to a sermon about the Lord’s Prayer (Matthew Ch. 6). I heard something that I had never realized before. Jesus wasn’t actually praying during the Lord’s Prayer; he was showing his disciples how to pray. Jesus says, “This then, is how you should pray…” (Matthew 6:9) and then begins what most of us know as the Lord’s Prayer. Jesus models for us how we should talk with our Father in Heaven. But this wasn’t the only time Jesus modeled prayer for us.

Some of Jesus’ prayers are recorded multiple times in different gospels but essentially there are nine different prayers of His found in scripture. Jesus models different ways to pray and gives us some very good outlines to follow. Two things I have gleaned from studying these prayers are simple, yet profound. One, a prayer at its core is us having a conversation with God. That’s it. Prayer is really that simple. There are no specific words that need to be said. There is no specific place where we must pray. We just need to intentionally take time out of our day to talk with God. There is power in prayer! Two, there is more power in our prayers than most of us realize. We are talking one on one with the Creator of the Universe. We have His full attention. There is nothing more powerful than prayer.

Your prayer life will improve if you follow the patterns of Jesus’ prayers. But one thing I need to make clear, prayer is more than a technique. It’s a language. A love language between us and God. We can call on Him anytime we want, and He will always be there for us. He loves us and wants to be with us. Whether we realize it or not, God is always with us, and He always answers our prayers. Sometimes the answer is yes. Sometimes the answer is no. Sometimes the answer might even be not yet. But God always answers our prayers.

With that in mind, the last few weeks I have tried to be more intentional about talking with God, particularly when it comes to talking with Him on behalf of others. When someone mentions something to me that needs prayer I have tried to stop where I am, no matter where I am, and pray for that person. So far, I have prayed with friends in the grocery store, in hospitals, over the phone, via text, through emails and even at a baseball game. These opportunities all came after I began to focus on how Jesus prayed and on the power of prayer.

 Scripture tells us that Jesus retreated to pray often. The Apostle Paul even goes so far as to tell the church in Thessalonica to “pray without ceasing”. Prayer matters, prayer is powerful, and prayer is simple. You don’t need to start your prayers with big churchy words. You can start by saying “hey God, I love you, how are you doing?” Then tell Him what’s on your mind.

 Take a few moments today to stop whatever you’re doing and talk with God. Talk to Him about what is going on in your life or talk with Him on behalf of someone else. But take time to talk with God. Then sit back, hold on and watch how powerfully He works in your life and in the lives of those around you.

Peace be with you!