To You be the glory and power forever…
Read:
James 5:16 (AMP): “The heartfelt and persistent prayer of a righteous man (believer) can accomplish much [when put into action and made effective by God—it is dynamic and can have tremendous power]”.
Act:
Learning how to effectively pray according to God’s will and believing in the power that is unlocked when we are aligned with His purposes are critical to our Christian walk. We really cannot say we have a relationship with our Heavenly Father and a desire to fulfil His calling on our lives, if we do not seek Him first in all we do and pray and live according to His will.
Let us be determined this week to:
Believe that our prayers are an effective weapon against the enemy and sin. James encourages us to never underestimate the power of prayer and praise. James poses a very relevant question in Chapter 5 verse 13: “Are you hurting, sick, suffering from great hardship or distressed?” and then provides us with a simple (one word), profound answer: “Then pray!”
He doesn’t leave it at that, but also asks the following question: “Do you feel great?” and then again, the simple, yet profound answer: “Then sing – worship and praise our Father in Heaven!”
What an amazing principle to learn and apply to our lives! First of all – if we are hurting, wanting or in need of anything in our lives – let’s be a believing, praying people! Let’s be in constant communication with our Heavenly Father, seeking His will and direction in everything we do. But let’s not focus so much on our needs, pain or challenges that we forget to smile at each day. Let’s also be the first ones to sing joy-filled praises to our Lord and Savior for all the good and wonderful things in our lives! Our greatest position in life is on our knees, praying and praising our amazing Father God!
Believe that our prayers are the greatest gift we could ever give to anyone. Our Father God is gracious and helps those in need (Psalm 107). The greatest gift we can be to one another is to unconditionally love each other (like Jesus loves us) and to pray for each other… interceding on each other’s behalf and believing in the power and mercy of our Heavenly Father! What could possibly have greater meaning or power in this world?
Remain mindful that effective prayer is not about us or about our needs – it’s about our most AMAZING HEAVENLY FATHER! Our prayers are less about us – what we ask, and what we want – and more about our Lord who is in control, who is all powerful, gracious, loving and kind. He is the One who holds a beautiful future for us – the One who planned the best for each one of us. We, within our limited understanding, pray ordinary prayers. God, through the power of the Holy Spirit, delights in changing our heartfelt and persistent prayers into extraordinary miracles and gifts.
We serve a GREAT God. Let’s never underestimate the power of earnest prayer according to our Father’s will!
Pray:
Our Father in Heaven, we glorify Your holy name! You are first, and the centre of our lives. Father, manifest Your Kingdom on earth as it is in Heaven! May every cause and purpose on earth be for Your glory! We honour and glorify You as our Provider – You are more than all we need each day! Please forgive all our wrong-doings and sin. Father, we want to live according to Your will and plans for our lives! Holy Spirit, please help us to turn away from sin and to forgive the wrongs of others. Help us to become more and more like You, Jesus. Please help us every time we are faced with tribulations and challenges in our lives. Put an army of angels around us to protect us from the evil one and any difficulties in our lives! Help us to have a heart for others and to intercede for them, with persistent and believing hearts! To You be glory and power forever.
Amen.
(Paraphrased Matthew 6:9-20)
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