Power of Prayer

Recently, after reading John 15 as part of my personal devotions, I noticed something that has been told to me many times before but this time it was revealed in a new light. That is that God craves to give us gifts, also known as: the Fruit of the Spirit. Because I grew up in a Christian environment, this didn't particularly slap me in the face, but what stood out was the amount that God gives compared to the amount that He receives. This realization made me take a step back and stand in awe. What an awesome God we have that He so freely lavishes His gifts upon us. It is such a humbling fact to know that we cannot possibily give back what has been given.

This does not means that we are free to receive without giving. Gifts from God are to have a cause and effect; to futher your relationship with the Lord and to glorify His name. We are called to develope these gifts in order to further God's kingdom and increase in love and understanding.

In this chapter Jesus compares our relationship with God to a vine; where we are the branches and God is the vine. To grow in our faith lives we must remain in Him, which is to say, first we must remain in love. At this point Jesus makes it clear that if we want to grow in our faith we have to ask for it.

If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be given you. This is to my Father's glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples. - John 15: 7-8

Lately, in my life there have been obstacles larger then I can see past. And by these things I felt trapped with nowhere to turn. At this point all have I have to fall back on is God's word and prayer. When I found no solution within myself for these obstacles, God began to reveal His word to me. Just like in any trade, you need the right tools for the right job. In order to deal with life I need the right tools. In the process of searching for these tools I came across Galasians 5, part or which lists the fruit of the spirit. If I want to grow in faith, I have to ask for it.

Over the past six months God has worked in wonderous ways. My life has forced me to turn to God in prayer, and in return, God reveals to me his power and makes me thankful. With this kind of God, I can't really loose.

A topic of which we talk about frequently in our circles, but rarely take time to focus on is the power of prayer. Prayer is a very broad topic, and I only wish to address it in the light of us asking God for His gifts. Prayer is only effective when it is sincere, that is when we actually believe the God can make a difference. Often our prayer contains this disclaimer "if this be your will." It seems as if we allowing God an "out," or neglecting to set ourselves up for disappointment if we don't get what we are asking for. This frustrates me! If we are praying sincerely for God to nurture our faith life, Jesus promises us "...ask whatever you wish, and it will be given you." This does not mean you will recieve without hardship and struggle, but you will get what you pray for.

Prayer invovles a few things: our prayer, God's giving, and our receiving. Asking for God's help in our developement is only part of the equation required of us. The other part being; praise and thanks. Pray that God will make you aware of His work in your life so that you may give Him the glory and forever be thankful to our Lord, Jesus Christ. For we are mere servants of God and shall be humbled by that!

In summary, be bold in what you ask for, expect changes, be prepared to follow where God leads you, and never stop praising God!
God is powerful. Let Him display that power though your prayer.
Pray about it.