Once the power of God is unleashed in a life, things don't stay the same. And that's what prayer does, it unleashes the power of God. You see, prayer is not about getting things right. You don't get prayers answered because you kneel in just the right spot or say the right words. War Room
Many people don't pray because they don't believe it works. But unfortunately, it doesn't work because we don't really pray.
How many of us spend our time in deep prayer? Getting close to the Lord in our rooms, asking Him to clean our closets—the cathedrals of our souls? Have we ever truly seen how desperate we are for Him? How many times do we repent, understanding He is a Holy God and we are nothing but sinners? How often has He heard us praying, conversing with Him, wanting Him more than His blessings? How often do we attend our prayer gatherings, desiring to bend our knees to pray for others? How many of us plead at heaven's gate for the salvation of the lost? Are we praying? But why does it seem we are losing so many battles that could be won if we just asked Him to unleash His power if we came closer and listened to Him? Can we spend long hours alone with God?
I'm not that prayerful either; I need His grace every time to remind me how necessary it is to deepen my prayer life so I can get to know Him more. And these past few weeks, He's been teaching me to pray. His Word hits so hard, penetrating my soul and rebuking my laziness in my prayer life.
The Prayer of Faith
13 Is anyone among you in trouble? Let them pray. Is anyone happy? Let them sing songs of praise. 14 Is anyone among you sick? Let them call the elders of the church to pray over them and anoint them with oil in the name of the Lord. 15 And the prayer offered in faith will make the sick person well; the Lord will raise them up. If they have sinned, they will be forgiven. 16 Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective.
17 Elijah was a human being, even as we are. He prayed earnestly that it would not rain, and it did not rain on the land for three and a half years. 18 Again he prayed, and the heavens gave rain, and the earth produced its crops.
19 My brothers and sisters, if one of you should wander from the truth and someone should bring that person back, 20 remember this: Whoever turns a sinner from the error of their way will save them from death and cover over a multitude of sins.
James 5:13-20
I've been truly blessed by reading the book of James over the past few weeks. James discusses faith and actions, wisdom, riches and poverty, testing and trouble, pride and prejudice, patience, and emphasizes the importance of prayer. It is a message directed particularly to Jewish Christians, urging them to actively live out their faith within the Christian community.
However, it raises the question of why many people are reluctant to pray. Why do so many churches have low attendance at prayer meetings? Why do we often prioritize entertainment, such as cat videos, trending dance steps, or funny videos, over spending time in prayer behind closed doors? Perhaps, it's because we don't fully understand the value of prayer as if our lives depended on it.
We may prioritize our work in pursuit of promotion rather than attending prayer meetings, or we burn the midnight oil just to have good grades more than asking God to give us wisdom through prayer. I'm not suggesting that we neglect our responsibilities, but I've realized that I tend to neglect prayer when I don't feel a desperate need for help. I forget that God is the provider of everything I need. There are also times when I don't pray for others because I've given up on them, as if the power is on the amount of my prayers.
It's easier to pray in times of suffering, grief, and loss because we feel the emptiness and need. We pray fervently when we are in pain. However, when everything seems to be going well, it's harder to find space to seek God. We may casually say, "Thank God for the blessings. I've worked hard for this. I deserve it," and then forget to pray once again. James reminds us not to be lukewarm or unsteady in our faith. We need to act on the Word, not just hear it, or we would be deceiving ourselves. The Bible constantly emphasizes the value of prayer. We need to pray at all times, so that we are not swayed by our own desires and enticed. As it is written in Matthew 26:41, "Watch and pray that you may not enter into temptation. The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak.”
Looking at the life of Jesus, we see that He always sought secluded places to pray.
Very early in the morning, while it was still dark, Jesus got up, left the house and went off to a solitary place, where he prayed. Mark 1:35
We need to pray more to fight our battles, finding a secluded place where we can be more intimate with the Lord. I once heard this: "There is something different about learning from a library and learning from your prayer closet. There is something different about learning from books and learning from the Bible."
We lose battles whenever we stop praying. We lose battles because we think that life depends on us—we're full of pride and don’t feel the need to come to Him, knock at heaven's gate, and wait for His answers. To come with a surrendered heart, desiring His desires more than ours. We lose battles because we give up on people. We let them be. We never fight for them in prayers. We cease praying for our loved ones and the salvation of the lost. We lose so many battles and remain defeated and lukewarm because we cease coming to the throne of the King of kings, the all-knowing, ever-present God.
We live in a constant state of fear and anxiety because we believe everything depends on us. We are not in dire need of His presence and power, and thus, we lose many battles.
One day Jesus was praying in a certain place. When he finished, one of his disciples said to him, “Lord, teach us to pray, just as John taught his disciples.”
2 He said to them, “When you pray, say:
“‘Father,[a]
hallowed be your name,
your kingdom come.[b]
3 Give us each day our daily bread.
4 Forgive us our sins,
for we also forgive everyone who sins against us.[c]
And lead us not into temptation.Luke 11:1-4
Lord, Teach Us to Pray
There was something about watching Jesus pray that made the disciples want to learn how to pray as He did. There was something magnetic about the prayer life of Jesus, and the way He prayed revealed something profound about His relationship with God the Father.
Jesus taught the disciples many things, yet the one thing they asked Him to teach them was how to pray. They never asked Him to teach them to walk on water, to preach, to perform miracles, or to do other great things. The only thing the disciples asked Jesus to teach them was how to pray.
And in Matthew 6, Jesus reiterates this, providing a model for prayer and emphasizing the importance of a deep, intimate connection with God through prayer.
5 “And when you pray, do not be like the hypocrites, for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the street corners to be seen by others. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward in full. 6 But when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you. 7 And when you pray, do not keep on babbling like pagans, for they think they will be heard because of their many words. 8 Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him. “This, then, is how you should pray:
“‘Our Father in heaven,
hallowed be your name,
10 your kingdom come,
your will be done,
on earth as it is in heaven.
11 Give us today our daily bread.
12 And forgive us our debts,
as we also have forgiven our debtors.
13 And lead us not into temptation,[a]
but deliver us from the evil one.[b]’14 For if you forgive other people when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. 15 But if you do not forgive others their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins.
The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective. Elijah was a human being, even as we are. He prayed earnestly that it would not rain, and it did not rain on the land for three and a half years. Again he prayed, and the heavens gave rain, and the earth produced its crops.
Does our prayer life unleash the power of God?
If not, we need to pray more. Pray with boldness and persistence, pray with childlike confidence and pray with a surrender heart.