Prayer works Wonders
You also helping together by prayer for us that for the gift bestowed upon us by the means of many persons, thanks may be given by many on our behalf.
2 Corinthians 1:11
Confess your faults one to another, pray one for another, that you may be healed. The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much.
James 5:16
The Worth of Prayer
Why do we pray? When we pray, do we consider prayer as some sort of religious exercise or as evidence of our spirituality? If that is the case, we are missing the true purpose and worth of prayer. Prayer is not as much about the sender as it is about the Great Receiver. God who hears prayer, sends blessing from on high. When we pray, we declare to the world our need, and to the Host of Heaven, that we are depended on God. When we pray we are stating that God is our only Answer. When we pray, we honor God, acknowledge God, and demonstrate our trust in God. Yet, here is the amazing thing; we don’t think our prayers have power.
Prayer is so amazing in that it begins in the natural with our situation but quickly moves into the spiritual realm to lay hold of the answer. Prayer drops anchor into two realms. It sinks to the heart of the problem by being moved over the things we experience, observe, and encounter. O the intensity of being moved by the tragedies of our world. This touches our heart and we cannot have comfort unless utterance is given over the deep and disturbing need. Prayer then launches and soars high into realms of Heaven and lays hold on the Horns of the Heavenly Altar. Prayer wrestles and pleads until the Compassion of our Father soothes us with His promise to hear our case. What a blessing to know that like Hannah, we can go to our home knowing that God has seen our tears. What a blessing to know that like Elijah, we can go on our journey in the strength of the Lord. Prayer works wonders.
We have all made the statement that Prayer works wonders, but we were not clear on how it worked. The Apostles, Paul and James, gave some wonderful insights on prayer that will motivate us to pray effectively as believers in Christ. Like everything else, prayer only works if you engage it. To enjoy the benefits of prayer, it must be engaged frequently and fervently. In that sense, prayer is being valued or assigned “worth” as we pray frequently and with power. It is not that the answer depends on how well we pray. Anyone who knows any thing about the Bible knows that answers to prayer don’t come as a result of the one praying but God who hears from Heaven. So why pray if the answer depends on God. The frequent and fervent prayers are a live demonstration that we are serious about the matter. Yes, those who understand the worth of prayer also understand that time spent in prayer is precious to God.
The Mighty Workings of Prayer
This verse, 2 Corinthians 1:11 is intriguing because it is in the context of Paul sharing how God had helped him through the many troubles, he faced in presenting the Gospel in Asia. Paul describes this extreme challenge in verse 9; but we had the sentence of death in ourselves, that we should not trust in ourselves, but in God which raises the dead. Preaching Christ in hostile regions was extremely difficult and as a result they could not trust their own ability. Yet God, who raised the dead, was the One they placed their trust in, and he (God) would do the work of deliverance. Paul continued in verse 10 and stated (God) delivered us from so great a death and continues to deliver … and He will yet deliver. Clearly, we see how God worked mightily to bring deliverance to Paul and help him continue to spread the Gospel. Then Paul revealed how the prayers of others had helped. This was amazing. You also helping together by prayer for us, that for the gift bestowed upon us by the means of many persons thanks may be given by many on our behalf. Through the prayers of many, the gift had been bestowed upon them because of prayer. Not only did God work, but the prayers also worked. This strong term and powerful concept is introduced “helping together by prayer.” How does this work if it is as good as it sounds? Well, the prayer help works both for us and in us.
The mighty working of prayer helps in troubled times. 2 Cor. 1:11, You also helping together by prayer for us, that for the gift bestowed upon us by the means of many persons thanks may be given by many on our behalf. Even in prison, Paul continued to give strong testimony of Jesus Christ. When you have prayer to help you, your testimony will not stop because of tough times. Prayer working for you will keep you going. Prayer working for you will keep your mind together. It is the prayer working for you that will give you determination. In the days of the early Church, the Apostle Peter was about to be executed by Herod. But prayer was made on his behalf by the Church. Their prayers worked but they did not realize it, even as Peter stood knocking at the door of their prayer meeting. Rhoda got excited that the answer was at the door. The others were in disbelief until Peter convinced them how God delivered him as a result of their prayers. Prayer works wonders. (see Acts 12:17)
Not only does prayer work in troubled times, it works at all times. The effectual working of prayer avails much. James 5:16, Confess your faults one to another, pray one for another, that you may be healed. The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much. Un-confessed sin hinders prayer. It may be that we have been Christians for a long time, but that does not mean that we have not sinned or acted in rebellion against God. The surest way to start the engine of prayer is with the “key of confession.” Otherwise we stumble around trying to conjure up some positive attitude about “self” and why “self” deserves to be blessed by God. This brings us to the second hindrance of prayer: we fail to pray for one another. When we exclude others from our prayers, we diminish our own power in prayer. Did not Jesus teach us, give US this day, OUR daily bread. And forgive US, OUR debts as WE forgive OUR debtors. Matthew 6:11-12. This provides for our healing. This provides for our prayers to be accepted by God and our prayers to keep on working. There is much talk now-a-days about wireless connections. Those systems can only work where there are sufficient routers to boost the signals. Our spiritual signals are hindered by sin and selfishness. When we confess our faults and pray for one another – then we can witness the effectual working of prayer.
Working Prayer means God Provides
Prayer works wonders on offense and defense and provides full protection for the child of God. There is a connection between prayer and the Power of God. Those who don’t pray for power generally do not get the power. Those who pray in the Power of the Spirit are filled with zeal and confidence in God. Here is how it works.
First Prayer works wonders to provide support. In practically every situation that calls for prayer, the person in need feels that they are “all alone” in their struggle. When the Child of God prays for the person in need they are “keeping company.” Think of it this way. In the country when some families were in trouble, the community would visit them and keep company. They couldn’t change the situation but would come to see about the troubled family. When God sends us into prayer by the Holy Spirit, we are keeping spiritual company with that person in need. We pray with them and for them so that they are not alone. Sometimes we keep praying until the person is back to wholeness. Much is said about the Good Samaritan in the Bible, but among other things, he was good company. Prayer works wonders to provides support.
Prayer works wonders to provide a shield. What do we mean by a shield? Prayer invites the Power of God into a situation in order to separate the enemy from the Children of God. This is what God did when the Israelites were down by the Red Sea; God put a shield between them and the Egyptians who were pursuing them. It is this shield that prevents the enemy from advancing. Once the line of separation is in place, then God begins to bring punishment on the enemy. You may ask, but where is prayer in this process? Prayer calls in the coordinates as a military radio operator would do in a battle. The TV series MASH, featured a character called “Radar.” Not only was he good at calling in the coordinates for air support, he could tell by his senses when there was going to be “incoming.” Some saints of God can detect when others are under attack and they immediately go into prayer. They call mightily upon God to send help from His Sanctuary. God listens to their prayers and answers them according to His riches in Glory. Thank God for the prayer shields to remind us that ‘Prayer works wonders.’
Prayer not only works to provide a shield and to keep company, Prayer works wonders to provide strength. The Apostle James and the Apostle Paul understood how life situations zap you of spiritual power. They would highly encourage us to pray and to pray for one another. Why would they place such high emphasis on prayer if they did not understand how well prayer worked? Prayer is the connection that brings the believer to God. It is the access to power from on high. Never think of your words of faith and petition as empty phrases. They are directed to God who hears, and God who hears will strengthen you and also answer your prayer. Popeye the Sailor, the cartoon character, always carried around a can of spinach. Even though he felt strong, he knew there were times when there would be threats that would overpower him. Whenever these attacks occurred, Popeye would open the can of spinach and receive “super strength.” You and I have prayer as our spiritual spinach. We can call God anytime. We can call Him up and tell Him what we want. God will provide. Prayer works wonders in your home. Prayer works wonders in the Church. It works in danger. It works in the storms of life. I recommend you try prayer, because it works wonders.