Power and Faith in Prayer

During our squad’s Leadership Development Weekend, I gave a talk on power and faith in prayer. Some of the points God gave me to share hit me pretty hard, and I feel that I should share the information, so here are all my notes!

I) Explanation of a few key points

1. I simply want to show you a few things I have been learning, that God is showing me about my prayer life. I haven’t implemented most of these in my life yet, so these points are as much for me as they are for you.

2. The title of the session is very important. Power OF prayer implies the results of prayer are significant (which they can be), but that also means we are focused on the results more than the power of the words and actions of prayer. I want to focus on power and faith IN prayer, making the words spoken more important than the results.

1. Sometimes prayers “don’t work,” or at least we don’t think they do. We start to wonder why are prayers are not working. The interesting thing is, when we start to wonder, we essentially take on responsibility for situations that are not ours in the first place. God has the responsibility to heal and fix situations. We don’t. (Karen Dilbeck, via JoAnna Moore)

II) The Power OF Prayer

1. That being said, I do want to spend a bit of time looking at the power OF prayer.

*What are some of your most powerful/faith-filled moments in prayer?*

*What made them special to you?*

2. Prayer can…

1. …prevent and trim away God’s wrath from people.

(Exodus 8:12-13) So Moses and Aaron went out from Pharaoh, and Moses cried to the Lord about the frogs, as he had agreed with Pharaoh. And the Lord did according to the word of Moses. The frogs died out in the houses, the courtyards, and the fields.

(Exodus 32:11-14) But Moses implored the Lord his God and said, “O Lord, why does your wrath burn hot against your people, whom you have brought out of the land of Egypt with great power and with a mighty hand? Why should the Egyptians say, ‘With evil intent did he bring them out, to kill them in the mountains and to consume them from the face of the earth.’? Turn from your burning anger and relent from this disaster against your people. Remember Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, your servants, to whom you swore by your own self, and said to them, ‘I will multiply your offspring as the stars of heaven, and all this land that I have promised I will give to your offspring, and they shall inherit it forever.’” And the Lord relented from the disaster that he had spoken of bringing on his people.

2. …bring people back from the dead.

(1 Kings 17:20-22) And he cried to the Lord, “O Lord my God, have you brought calamity even upon the widow with whom I sojourn, by killing her son?” And he stretched himself upon the child three times and cried to the Lord, “O Lord my God, let this child’s life come into him again.” And the Lord listened to the voice of Elijah. And the life of the child came into him again, and he revived.

(2 Kings 4:32-35) When Elisha came into the house, he saw the child lying dead on his bed. So he went in and shut the door behind the two of them and prayed to the Lord. Then he went up and lay on the child, putting his mouth on his mouth, his eyes on his eyes, and his hands on his hands. And as he stretched himself upon him, the flesh of the child became warm. Then he got up again and walked once back and forth in the house, and went up and stretched himself upon him. The child sneezed seven times, and the child opened his eyes.

(Acts 9:40-41) But Peter put them all outside, and knelt down and prayed; and turning to the body he said, “Tabitha, arise.” And she opened her eyes, and when she saw Peter she sat up.

3. …bring fire down from heaven.

(1 Kings 18:36-38) And at the time of the offering of the oblation, Elijah the prophet came near and said, “O Lord, God of Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, let it be known this day that you are God in Israel, and that I am your servant, and that I have done all these things at your word. Answer me, O Lord, answer me, that this people may know that you, O Lord, are God, and that you have turned their hearts back.” Then the fire of the Lord fell and consumed the burnt offering and the wood and the stones and the dust, and licked up the water that was in the trench.

4. …drive out demons.

1. The disciples could not drive out the demon, but Jesus could.

(Mark 9:28-29) And when he had entered the house, his disciples asked him privately, “Why could we not cast it out?” And he said to them, “This kind cannot be driven out by anything but prayer.”

5. …bring rain on the earth during a drought.

(James 5:16b-18) The prayer of a righteous person has great power as it is working. Elijah was a man with a nature like ours, and he prayed fervently that it might not rain, and for three years and six months it did not rain on the earth. Then he prayed again, and heaven gave rain, and the earth bore its fruit.

(1 Kings 18:41-45) And Elijah said to Ahab, “Go up, eat and drink, for there is a sound of the rushing of rain.” So Ahab went up to eat and to drink. And Elijah want up to the top of Mount Carmel. And he bowed himself down on the earth and put his face between his knees. And he said to his servant, “Go up now, look toward the sea.” And he went up and looked and said, “There is nothing.” And he said, “Go again,” seven times. And at the seventh time he said, “Behold, a little cloud like a man’s hand is rising from the sea.” And he said, “Go up, say to Ahab, ‘Prepare your chariot and go down, lest the rain stop you.’”

Palpable Presence prayed for rain on three different occasions in Indonesia, and each time it poured rain within a few hours, once within minutes and another for the entire night.

6. …open up bar streets in Thailand.

Our host in Thailand walked the same street of bars for three years praying, and now it’s the only street on which teams can minister safely.

3. Our words, as humans, have the power to influence the God of the universe!

4. However, I often feel like I can just pray as I see fit because God is going to do what he wants anyway. Why should I bother trying to be a part of it? How significant, really, is my involvement in his plans?

1. The thing is, God wants us to be involved for our sake, even if he doesn’t need us.

2. One of my former teammates explained it like this: Suppose your dad is having a retirement party. He wants you there, but doesn’t necessarily need you to come. If you don’t call him or text him, you will not know who will be there, what to wear, when to be there, or where to go. In the same way, if you don’t ask God for information on what he is doing, you are going to miss being a part of it. (JoAnna Moore)

III) The Faith Prayer Takes

1. When we pray, there is always a measure of faith that God will hear and fulfill whatever it is we are asking.

(James 5:13-15) Is anyone among you suffering? Let him pray. Is anyone cheerful? Let him sing praise. Is anyone among you sick? Let him call for the elders of the church, and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord. And the prayer offered in faith will save the one who is sick, and the Lord will raise him up. And if he has committed sins, he will be forgiven.

2. Sometimes there is also faith in the action of praying.

1. Daniel prayed even though his life was at risk.

(Daniel 6:10) When Daniel knew that the document had been signed, he went to his house where he had windows in his upper chamber open toward Jerusalem. He got down on his knees three times a day and prayed and gave thanks before his God, as he had done previously.

2. Hannah prayed for a son, even though she knew she would have to give up that same son.

(1 Samuel 1:11) And she vowed a vow and said, “O Lord of hosts, if you will indeed look on the affliction of your servant and remember me and not forget your servant, but will give to your servant a son, then I will give him to the Lord all the days of his life, and no razor shall touch his head.”

IV) The Importance of Trusting Our Power and Having Faith IN Prayer

1. When we trust our power and faith in prayer, there are many things that can happen through our prayers.

2. First, as God grants our smaller requests, we gain for trust in our power and gain more faith. This increases the level of our prayers, because we know God can do little things, so we are more willing to ask for bigger things.

3. Second, the gospel can go out into the world.

1. Prayer gave the early church boldness in speaking the gospel even when Peter and John informed them that the chief priests would beat them and throw them in jail if they did.

(Acts 4:23-31) When they were released, they went to their friends and reported what the chief priests and elders had said to them. And when they heard it, they lifted up their voices together to God and said, “Sovereign Lord, who made the heaven and the earth and the sea and everything in them, who through the mouth of our father David, your servant, said by the Holy Spirit, ‘Why did the Gentiles rage, and the peoples plot in vain? The kings of the earth set themselves, and the rulers were gathered together, against the Lord and against his Anointed’– for truly in this city there were gathered together against your holy servant Jesus, whom you anointed, both Herod and Pontius Pilate, along with the Gentiles and the peoples of Israel, to do whatever your hand and your plan had predestined to take place. And now, Lord, look upon their threats and grant to your servants to continue to speak your word with all boldness, while you stretch out your hand to heal, and signs and wonders are performed through the name of your holy servant Jesus.” And when they had prayed, the place in which they were gathered together was shaken, and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and continued to speak the word of God with boldness.

2. Jesus says to ask the Father to send people out to share the gospel.

(Matthew 9:37-38) (Luke 10:2) Then he said to his disciples, “The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few; therefore pray earnestly to the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest.”

4. Forgiveness on behalf of others and groups can happen.

1. Daniel prays for forgiveness on behalf of Israel and Jerusalem

(Daniel 9:16-19) O Lord, according to all your righteous acts, let your anger and your wrath turn away from your city Jerusalem, your holy hill, because for our sins, and for the iniquities of our fathers, Jerusalem and your people have become a byword among all who are around us. Now therefore, O our God, listen to the prayer of your servant and to his pleas for mercy, and for your own sake, O Lord, make your face to shine upon your sanctuary, which is desolate. O my God, incline your ear and hear. Open your eyes and see our desolations, and the city that is called by your name. For we do not present our pleas before you because of our righteousness, but because of your great mercy. O Lord, hear; O Lord, forgive. O Lord, pay attention and act. Delay not, for your own sake, O my God, because your city and your people are called by your name.

2. God told Job’s three friends to ask Job to pray for them. Only then would God forgive them.

(Job 42:7-9) After the Lord had spoken these words to Job, the Lord said to Eliphaz the Temanite: “My anger burns against you and against your two friends, for you have not spoken of me what is right, as my servant Job has. Now therefore take seven bulls and seven rams and go to my servant Job and offer up a burnt offering for yourselves. And my servant Job shall pray for you, for I will accept his prayer not to deal with you according to your folly. For you have not spoken of me what is right, as my servant Job has.” So Eliphaz the Temanite and Bildad the Shuhite and Zophar the Naamathite went and did what the Lord had told them, and the Lord accepted Job’s prayer.

5. With God, all things are possible. If we simply trust and have faith, we get to be part of all the impossible things God does.

(Luke 1:37) For nothing will be impossible with God.

(Matthew 19:26) But Jesus looked at them and said, “With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.”

(Luke 18:27) But he said, “What is impossible with man is possible with God.”

V) What God Has Been Revealing to Me About Prayer

1. Seek him first

(Matthew 6:33) But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.

1. When we seek his kingdom first, he will take care of our needs. This does not mean he will give us abundance every times, but he will provide the very basic needs.

2. Be persistent

1. The ungodly judge granted the widow’s request simply because she became annoying, but God grants our requests because he loves us.

(Luke 18:1-8a) And he told them a parable to the effect that they ought always to pray and not lose heart. He said, “In a certain city there was a judge who neither feared God nor respected man. And there was a widow in that city who kept coming to him and saying, ‘Give me justice against my adversary.’ For a while he refused, but afterward he said to himself, ‘Though I neither fear God nor respect man, yet because this widow keeps bothering me, I will give her justice, so that she will not beat me down by her continual coming.’” And the Lord said, “Hear what the unrighteous judge says. And will not God give justice to his elect, who cry to him day and night? Will he delay long over them? I tell you, he will give justice to them speedily.

2. Sometimes God tests our faith by having us ask over and over again for something, and once we have learned whatever he is trying to teach us, then he grants our requests.

3. Praying a two-sentence prayer consistently every morning can be better than waiting for a two-hour chunk of time later in the day and it never happens.

(Romans 12:12) Rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer.

(1 Thessalonians 5:17) Pray without ceasing.

3. Have a conversation with him, no matter who is (or is not) listening

1. Jesus made this idea very clear. We are talking with Father God, not those around us.

(Matthew 6:5-6) And when you pray, you must not be like the hypocrites. For they love to stand and pray in the synagogues and at the street corners, that they may be seen by others. Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward. But when you pray, go into your room and shut the door and pray to your Father who is in secret. And your father who sees in secret will reward you.

4. Be specific with words

1. I need to think about what I am saying and the exact words coming out of my mouth.

(Matthew 6:7-8) And when you pray, do not heap up empty phrases as the Gentiles do, for they think they will be heard for their many words. Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him.

2. This is especially important if someone is actually listening into my conversation with God (praying with someone or in a group or being overheard in a coffee shop, or restaurant). Words have the power to build people up and tear them down, so if we aren’t careful in our prayers, this could hinder someone else’s walk with God.

(James 3:7-10) For every kind of beast and bird, of reptile and sea creature, can be tamed and has been tamed by mankind, but no human being can tame the tongue. It is a restless evil, full of deadly poison. With it we bless our Lord and Father, and with it we curse people who are made in the likeness of God. From the same mouth come blessing and cursing. My brothers, these things ought not to be so.

3. Don’t be afraid of silence during your prayer either!!

1. This has nothing to do with silence between people praying in a “popcorn style” setting, where everyone is praying when they feel led. I’m talking about actually pausing to think about what you are saying and the words you will use next.

2. This is scary for some people because they don’t want to appear as if they don’t know what to pray. This can happen when people are praying for those around them instead of talking just with God.

I have definitely done this one. When I am thinking more about how people will respond to what I’m saying, or if I want them to compliment me on a “good prayer” later, I’ll get anxious about what I’m going to pray, even before it is my turn to pray. I’ll also be thinking about what I should pray while others are praying, and this keeps me from agreeing with them in their requests to God.

3. Another reason people don’t pause to think is that they don’t want to be interrupted.

I actually have a fear of this situation happening to me. I don’t like my train of thought interrupted and having to come back to it later. I feel like I have to keep going or I will lose any train of thought I possibly had. I start to say empty phrases I don’t really mean, just to fill the space between my thoughts.

4. A good reason to pause is to ask God what to pray for next and listen for his answer.

Sometimes I’ll be praying what God told me to say, and he will make words come out of my mouth I wasn’t expecting. I then end up stopping to think about what I just said, and forget to continue praying (not a bad thing, by the way). I just pause to marvel at the new knowledge God has just given me through my own words in prayer.

5. Active Words vs. Passive Words

1. I am guilty of praying, “I pray that you would…” This is passive. In the Bible, “I pray that…” Is only used what someone is telling someone else they are praying for them. It’s not actual prayers. Here are two examples:

(2 Corinthians 13:7) But we pray to God that you may not do wrong–not that we may appear to have met the test, but that you may do what is right, though we may seem to have failed.

(Philemon 1:6) And I pray that the sharing of your faith may become effective for the full knowledge of every good thing that is in us for the sake of Christ.

2. Why not just pray, “God, help me”, instead of “I pray that you would help me.” Simply changing the wording makes you believe more of the power in your prayers.

Passive: “I pray that you show my sister more of who you are today.”; Active: “Show yourself to my sister today. Give her a new understanding of who you are.”

Passive: “May your love be all I need today.”; Active: “Your love is all I need today. Fulfill my need for it, so I can serve you better.”

Passive: “I pray you give me more of your power and I pray you expand my faith in ways I could not have imagined.”; Active: “Give me more of your power today, and expand my faith to what you want it to look like.”

*What are some of the passive phrases you use in prayer?*

*How can you pray in more active words?*

3. Look at/listen to the words of these prayers:

(Psalm 116:4 – Emphasis added) Then I called on the name of the Lord: “O Lord, I pray, deliver my soul!”

(Psalm 118:25 – Emphasis added) Save us, we pray, O Lord! O Lord, we pray, give us success!

(Daniel 9:16-19 – Emphasis added) O Lord, according to all your righteous acts, let your anger and your wrath turn away from your city Jerusalem, your holy hill, because for our sins, and for the iniquities of our fathers, Jerusalem and your people have become a byword among all who are around us. Now therefore, O our God, listen to the prayer of your servant and to his pleas for mercy, and for your own sake, O Lord, make your face to shine upon your sanctuary, which is desolate. O my God, incline your ear and hear. Open your eyes and see our desolations, and the city that is called by your name. For we do not present our pleas before you because of our righteousness, but because of your great mercy. O Lord, hear; O Lord, forgive. O Lord, pay attention and act. Delay not, for your own sake, O my God, because your city and your people are called by your name.

(Matthew 6:9-13 – Emphasis added) Pray then like this: Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name. Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.

6. Pray without doubt

(Matthew 21:20-23) When the disciples saw it, they marveled, saying, “How did the fig tree wither at once?” And Jesus answered them, “Truly, I say to you, if you have faith and do not doubt, you will not only do what has been done to the fig tree, but even if you say to this mountain, ‘Be taken up and thrown into the sea,’ it will happen. And whatever you ask for in prayer, you will receive, if you have faith.”

1. When we doubt, we essentially put a cap on our prayers. God can still act on what we pray, but what he gives us can be proportional to what we pray. This idea is like the parable of the talents. God gives rewards based on the faithfulness of his servants. If we ask for a certain amount, he gives in accordance with that amount.

(Matthew 25:14-29) For it will be like a man going on a journey, who called his servants and entrusted to them his property. To one he gave five talents, to another two, to another one, to each according to his ability. Then he went away. He who had received the five talents went at once and traded with them, and he made five talents more. So also he who had the two talents made two talents more. But he who had received the one talent went and dug in the ground and hid his master’s money. Now after a long time the master of those servants came and settled accounts with them. And he who had received the five talents came forward, bringing five talents more, saying, ‘Master, you delivered to me five talents; here I have made five talents more.’ His master said to him, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant. You have been faithful over a little; I will set you over much. Enter into the joy of your master.’ And he also who had the two talents came forward, saying, ‘Master, you delivered to me two talents; here I have made two talents more.’ His master said to him, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant. You have been faithful over a little; I will set you over much. Enter into the joy of your master.’ He also who had received the one talent came forward, saying, ‘Master, I knew you to be a hard man, reaping where you did not sow, and gathering where you scattered no seed, so I was afraid, and I went and hid your talent in the ground. Here you have what is yours.’ But his master answered him, ‘You wicked and slothful servant! You knew that I reap where I have not sown and gather where I scattered no seed? Then you ought to have invested my money with the bankers, and at my coming I should have received what was my own with interest. So take the talent from him and give it to him who has the ten talents. For to everyone who has will more be given, and he will have an abundance. But from the one who has not, even what he has will be taken away.

7. Pray prayers that make you sweat

1. Jesus didn’t necessarily want to die, but he knew that it was the only way and he was willing to pray, “your will be done.” This prayer made him sweat to the point of bleeding. I wonder if the reason Jesus sweat was because he was the only one who truly know the power in prayer, and he had no doubt in his prayers. He knew the unlimited potential of what he was praying and that made him sweat.

(Luke 22:39-44) And he came out and went, as was his custom, to the Mount of Olives, and the disciples followed him. And when he came to the place, he said to them, “Pray that you may not enter into temptation.” And he withdrew from them about a stone’s throw, and knelt down and prayed, saying, “Father, if you are willing, remove this cup from me. Nevertheless, not my will, but yours, be done.” And there appeared to him an angel from heaven, strengthening him. And being in an agony he prayed more earnestly; and his sweat became like drops of blood falling to the ground.

VI) Things to Keep in Mind as You Move Forward

1. We are fighting against evil

(Ephesians 6:12) For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places.

2. We are actually carrying and using (hopefully) God’s weapons and armor

(2 Corinthians 10:3-4) For though we walk in the flesh, we are not waging war according to the flesh. For the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh but have divine power to destroy strongholds.

(Ephesians 6:14-18a) Stand therefore, having fastened on the belt of truth, and having put on the breastplate of righteousness, and, as shoes for your feet, having put on the readiness given by the gospel of peace. In all circumstances take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming darts of the evil one; and take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God, praying at all times in the Spirit, with all prayer and supplication.

VII) Challenge

1. Ask God if you have been lacking in faith, not trusting the power in your prayers, and/or if God is trying to speak to you through prayer and you are not listening.

2. Don’t be afraid to ask someone to pray with you and/or for you, if you feel that you need it!

3. Share what God reveals to you with someone, and apply what He revealed to you.

4. Pray “The Lord’s Prayer”, pausing to take in the words.

Our Father in heaven, holy is your name…

Your kingdom come…

your will be done…

Your kingdom come and your will be done on earth just like it is in heaven…

Give us today our daily bread…

and forgive our sins…

we forgive those who sin against us…

And lead us away from temptation…

deliver us from evil…

Amen.