Ladies Corner
The Power of Prayer
As 2016 draws to a close and the new year is on the horizon, our thoughts naturally go to resolutions. We resolve, or determine to do things differently in the upcoming year, whether it is to eat better, exercise more, or be more organized. Quite often my top resolution is the latter, and after moving our family twice in the last two years I definitely need to spend some time in 2017 organizing the clutter in our new garage. By comparison it is really not that bad, but I seem to accumulate and hang on to things that we no longer need or use. They may not be bad things in and of themselves, but the sheer accumulation of them and my lack of determination to take action have resulted in a quite the pile of clutter. And as I’m sure you all know, clutter means work. Physical, material clutter takes time and effort to control and honestly it can be exhausting.
The accumulation of physical clutter is not the only thing that can weigh us down. Mental or spiritual clutter can occur when we hang on to or dwell on the cares of this world. Our worries, our fears, our hopes, or our daily struggles can be overwhelming at times. We trick ourselves into thinking that we can handle it all. We may at times unload our troubles on a friend or family member, which can provide temporary comfort. However, the perfect solution to this type of mental clutter is freely available to all who seek it – prayer! In speaking about worldly cares, Jesus made it clear that we are not to dwell on them –
“Therefore do not worry, saying ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ For after all these things the Gentiles seek. For your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you.” (Matthew 6:31-33)
God knows the things that we need. If we seek first to serve Him, then everything else will be taken care of. However, we are told to actively ask for our needs and seek the will of God. This requires action on our parts. We cannot simply rely on the fact that God is omniscient and He knows what we need; we are told to ask Him, and to do so in prayer –
“For the eyes of the Lord are on the righteous, and His ears are open to their prayers.” (1 Peter 3:12)
God has gifted us a 24 hour hotline, if you will, to lift up our voices in prayer. Whenever and wherever, we can pray to God and if we are righteous, He will hear us. What a wonderful thought! When something bad happens, our first reaction should be to pray. When something good happens, our first reaction should be to pray. Have you ever had something that you just needed to talk to someone about right away, whether it was good or bad? Prayer allows us to do just that with the Lord. We don’t need a phone, text, or email. We simply have to pray.
“Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.” (Philippians 4:6-7)
If we make our requests known to God, then we shall have peace—a peace of mind that is beyond even our own understanding. The simple method of talking things out in prayer reminds us that the Lord is in control, and knowing that things are in His hands brings us peace. By praying, we are figuratively de-cluttering our minds and recognizing that the Lord will take care of us.
Not only are we to pray for ourselves, but we are to pray for others as well. In order to know the needs of our brethren, and what we should be praying for, we must be able to talk with them about such things. Unless we tell our brethren know what our struggles are, they will not know that we need their prayers. Sometimes we go through things in our lives that are difficult to discuss openly, but James tells us that we must do so in order to pray for each other –
“Confess your trespasses to one another, and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much.” (James 5:16)
Lastly, we are told to pray constantly. Prayer isn’t something that we can just use whenever it suits us. It is not something to use as a last-ditch attempt at getting what we want. We are commanded to pray constantly, not just when we feel like it –
“Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, in everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.” (1 Thessalonians 5:16-18)
