Prayer Power
Life has been crazy busy around the Riediger house the last couple of weeks. Haven't had much time to post or get on my laptop....I know....stop whining!!! I am thankful for my busy crazy life and the blessings God continues to bestow on me!!
I just finished reading the new book by Angie Smith titled Chasing God. It was a really good book....the kind of book that has lots of content....the kind that I have to read a chapter, then mull it over for a few days. The kind of book that I have written in, underlined, and will probably read again!
I got about half way through when she makes a statement about the power of prayer. The gist of it is that we can't or shouldn't presume that our prayers will ever change the will of the Father.....that our prayers do not have the power to change God's will. WOW....this really threw me for a loop. I just stopped reading.....had to put the book down.....and walked away from it for a while.
I had to figure out in my head what the "power of prayer" had to do with God's will. I am constantly praying that God show me His will, that I will be able to discern His will from my own. I believe that God's will is for all men to hear about Jesus, His love and sacrifice for them and to name Him as their Lord and Savior and put Him on in baptism. In all that we do.....this is the ultimate will of God.
I believe that God has a plan and will for everyone in their life. He does give us our own will to make decisions and a lot times we make bad choices or fail to see and do His will. Even through the bad choices that I have made or that I still make....God blesses me with His mercy and grace. We as humans will never know the will of God for our lives unless we are continually in His word, seeking Him in everything with our eyes and our hearts open to Him.
I can't imagine my life without prayer. I have felt the "power" of prayer more times that I can count. There is something calming and soothing knowing that someone else is lifting me before the Lord. I gain strength in knowing that whatever I am going through, all I have to do is make one call....send one text and there will be numerous brothers and sisters in Christ praying for a specific need that I have or someone I love has.
The "power" of prayer is not in changing God's will to be our will BUT in the relationship we have with God through our prayers. Our faith grows when we see God's work in our lives and through answered prayers in others lives. The power is not in knowing God's will but in knowing He loves us, hears us and answers our prayers.
I have been on the receiving end of lots and lots of people praying for me through some really dark times in my life. I couldn't see God's will through the pain and the darkness but I could feel God standing close by as I blindly kept walking. I could feel God because there were people all over that were lifting me up in prayer. They personally couldn't do anything to help me in the darkness but they knew that God could.
People, prayer changes you, changes your heart, keeps your eyes on God our Father and builds your relationship with Him. I know that all of you reading this have seen and experienced the power of prayer, have prayed for someone and seen that prayer answered in their lives.....seeing and experiencing answered prayers is the "power" of God....plain and simple.
Last year a brother at church was diagnosed with Lymphoma. This man is in the prime of his life, has two daughters, a grandson, faithful servant of God....just a precious man. We were all shocked and were hurting with the family. The family immediately began asking for prayers....they were very specific in their prayer requests and we all were right there praying non-stop for them. They shared the x-ray taken of his chest cavity when he first went to Houston....it was full of black spots....cancer. Word spread and prayers were said....over and over and over again for his healing. Not only from his earthly family but from his church family, from friends, from friends of friends, from coworkers....people were praying and praying hard. He went through his cemo treatment and when the time came for the x-ray to see if the treatments had worked.....his chest was clear....no black spots....no cancer!!!!! That my friends is the power of prayer......Asking of God and believing that He will answer!!!
"Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours." Mark 11:24
"Is anyone among you in trouble? Let them pray. Is anyone happy? Let them sing songs of praise. 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. 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. 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." James 5:13-16
From my corner of the world.....praying for you!!
I got about half way through when she makes a statement about the power of prayer. The gist of it is that we can't or shouldn't presume that our prayers will ever change the will of the Father.....that our prayers do not have the power to change God's will. WOW....this really threw me for a loop. I just stopped reading.....had to put the book down.....and walked away from it for a while.
I had to figure out in my head what the "power of prayer" had to do with God's will. I am constantly praying that God show me His will, that I will be able to discern His will from my own. I believe that God's will is for all men to hear about Jesus, His love and sacrifice for them and to name Him as their Lord and Savior and put Him on in baptism. In all that we do.....this is the ultimate will of God.
I believe that God has a plan and will for everyone in their life. He does give us our own will to make decisions and a lot times we make bad choices or fail to see and do His will. Even through the bad choices that I have made or that I still make....God blesses me with His mercy and grace. We as humans will never know the will of God for our lives unless we are continually in His word, seeking Him in everything with our eyes and our hearts open to Him.
I can't imagine my life without prayer. I have felt the "power" of prayer more times that I can count. There is something calming and soothing knowing that someone else is lifting me before the Lord. I gain strength in knowing that whatever I am going through, all I have to do is make one call....send one text and there will be numerous brothers and sisters in Christ praying for a specific need that I have or someone I love has.
The "power" of prayer is not in changing God's will to be our will BUT in the relationship we have with God through our prayers. Our faith grows when we see God's work in our lives and through answered prayers in others lives. The power is not in knowing God's will but in knowing He loves us, hears us and answers our prayers.
I have been on the receiving end of lots and lots of people praying for me through some really dark times in my life. I couldn't see God's will through the pain and the darkness but I could feel God standing close by as I blindly kept walking. I could feel God because there were people all over that were lifting me up in prayer. They personally couldn't do anything to help me in the darkness but they knew that God could.
People, prayer changes you, changes your heart, keeps your eyes on God our Father and builds your relationship with Him. I know that all of you reading this have seen and experienced the power of prayer, have prayed for someone and seen that prayer answered in their lives.....seeing and experiencing answered prayers is the "power" of God....plain and simple.
Last year a brother at church was diagnosed with Lymphoma. This man is in the prime of his life, has two daughters, a grandson, faithful servant of God....just a precious man. We were all shocked and were hurting with the family. The family immediately began asking for prayers....they were very specific in their prayer requests and we all were right there praying non-stop for them. They shared the x-ray taken of his chest cavity when he first went to Houston....it was full of black spots....cancer. Word spread and prayers were said....over and over and over again for his healing. Not only from his earthly family but from his church family, from friends, from friends of friends, from coworkers....people were praying and praying hard. He went through his cemo treatment and when the time came for the x-ray to see if the treatments had worked.....his chest was clear....no black spots....no cancer!!!!! That my friends is the power of prayer......Asking of God and believing that He will answer!!!
"Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours." Mark 11:24
"Is anyone among you in trouble? Let them pray. Is anyone happy? Let them sing songs of praise. 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. 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. 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." James 5:13-16
From my corner of the world.....praying for you!!
