THERE IS POWER IN PRAYER

1 Thessalonians 5:17-18 "pray without ceasing; in everything give thanks; for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus."

For many years, researchers have tried to determine if prayer has any effect on physical healing. An assistant professor at George Washington University School of Medicine says that "trying to scientifically determine prayer's effect on health is nearly impossible."

Even Christians who agree that God heals may differ widely on how, when, and why God does. We struggle to understand why the Lord restores some to health while others suffer and die.

James addressed the matter in a way that's worthy of careful study. He discussed healing in the context of a fellowship of believers and said: "Confess your trespasses to one another, and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The effective, fervent prayer of a righteous humankind avails much" (James 5:16).

James' purpose was not to stir up controversy or to prove a scientific point. Instead, he focused on the privilege and power of prayer. While speaking of physical healing, he also included a call for restoration to spiritual health through repentance and confession.

Science tries to prove cause and effect. Faith directs us to call on the power of our loving God, whose ways we can rarely understand but can always trust.

Faith in God, to whom we pray, is more important than the wording of the prayer. "Let my children ask in faith, with no doubting, for they who doubts is like a wave of the sea that is driven and tossed by the wind. For that person must not suppose [they]... will receive anything from the Lord" (James 1:6-8).

Most people are unaware of the tremendous power that is available to us through prayer. The Devil does. The Devil will do anything to get our mind off of our desire to pray because the he knows the power of prayer and the blessings that God wants to give. When you rediscover that the world around you is both natural and supernatural (regarding that which is not from the observable, tangible or measurable universe, especially regarding divine things/beings/actions/realms), then it makes sense that prayer has great value as spiritual communication. You'll begin to want to pray more, and look forward to prayer time.

Whether you are a Christian or not, one thing is for sure. We all have times of uncertainty, fear, loss, illness, loneliness, but those are the time we just need to pray. And each of us face times of barrenness when nothing is satisfying and we fill empty inside about our work, service, relationships, or our life. It is difficult to pray in faith when we feel so ineffective and so empty. But as Hannah discovered, prayer opens the way for God to work" (1 Samuel 1:19, 20). The Spirit moves you to turn to God in prayer and repentance, brings to your mind that there is hope in doing so, and makes you aware of the truth and the need.

The whole of Scripture is to increase our faith in the purpose, need, essence, weapon, reality, purpose, power and reality of prayer. Take time to pray (Luke 22:40; Col 1:9), take time to listen to God speaking to your heart, and take time to hear what God's Plan for your life might be (Jeremiah 29:11; Psalm 139).