Unleashing the Power of Earnest Prayer
A Lesson from a Brazilian Church Leader
I once met a Brazilian church leader who taught me a valuable lesson about the importance of sincere prayer. He had found Christ during a year-long stay in a drug rehabilitation center, where he was required to attend three one-hour prayer sessions daily. These sessions were not just quiet reflections, but intense, passionate pleas to God. I was amazed by his dedication and confessed that my own prayers were often short and formal. He invited me to join him for prayer, and I accepted the challenge.
Praying like Moses
As we knelt on the concrete floor of our small church auditorium, he poured out his heart to God. He cried, wailed, begged, and pleaded, reciting every promise in the Bible as if God needed a reminder. He prayed like Moses, who had intervened on behalf of the Israelites when God was angry with them. Moses’ passionate prayer had moved God’s heart, and ours can do the same. As James 5:16 reminds us, “The effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much.”
The Impact of Prayer
Prayer doesn’t change God’s nature, but it does impact the flow of history. God has wired his world for power, but he calls on us to flip the switch. Our prayers can move the heart of God and bring about significant change.
The Struggle with Prayer
So why do we struggle with prayer? It requires minimal effort, no specific location, and no particular clothing or title. Yet, our minds often wander, and our thoughts scatter like quail. Satan seeks to interrupt our prayers, knowing the power they hold. He witnessed the angel in Peter’s cell and the revival in Jerusalem, and he knows what happens when we pray.
Breaking Down Barriers
But Satan can’t stop us from praying. When we move forward with honest hearts and faithful confessions, he scampers like a spooked dog. So let’s pray, first. Let’s bathe our missions, work, and lives in prayer. Let’s pray without ceasing, as God calls us to do.
A Heartfelt Prayer
God, you created all that exists and keep it running through your infinite wisdom and boundless power. Yet, you invite me to come to you in prayer, boldly and with the expectation that you will hear me and answer me. Teach me, Lord, to take full advantage of this amazing privilege, especially in reaching others with your love. Give me a heart for those who have yet to experience the fullness of your grace, and prompt me to pray for them and their welfare, both in this world and in eternity. Lord, bring me to the front lines of this battle. In Jesus’ name, I pray, amen.
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