Is It Groundhog Day? Without The Power Of Prayer It Can Be

“Every great movement of God can be traced back to a kneeling figure.” D. L. Moody

It feels a bit like Groundhog Day as far as the news is concerned, does it not? The stories may be a little bit different but the theme is the same. The Sky is Falling, Again! Before you get a little upset that I am making light of what is in a lot of ways some seriously disconcerting situations, I wanted to add some levity. It is almost as if time has had a massive slug of caffeine along with the news, the weather, our personal lives, the universe and everything. 

Does prayer really work?

I’ve written about this multiple times, how do we deal with it? I’ve spent much time in prayer and worship and asked God for some direction as to how to give comfort to those who are indeed in great fear. Fear used to grip me a lot, and there are times it tries to creep back in with its insidious paralysis but with much prayer, I hope I can share some good news with you. 

Has prayer lost its power?

Often we hear the words, “You should pray about it” or “I am praying for you.” What do you think when someone says that to you? Do you roll your eyes and think, “Sure, prayers, they really do a lot. Will that really change anything?” Oftentimes on social media you might see some sentiments like, “How are those thoughts and prayers working for you?” Most certainly we see them in response to some great evil that befalls society where suffering, death and injustice are present. When those words are typed or uttered it makes prayer seem as if it is a powerless practice. But is it really? Let’s look at some scriptures to see if prayer actually has power. 

Prayer is effective

James 5:16 tells us that the effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much. To give this verse some reference we must back up a little bit. What was the purpose of the book of James? I often think of James as a “must do” book of the Bible, not a “you should do this” or “I suggest that maybe you might want to do this.” James was the brother of Jesus, there was a time that he did not believe that Jesus was the son of God, but after Jesus’ death and resurrection he became a believer and leader in the church. In this short chapter James covers a lot of territory. 

Life inevitably has trials

What I am about to tackle is not readily expounded upon in many churches these days. We live in a fallen world and as such we will have trials and tribulations. Yesterday I saw a meme that shared this concept quite well, it stated: “The Gospel sounds very strange to a generation that has been told they are perfect, loving themselves is virtuous, their heart is always right and nothing is more important than being happy.” We are not perfect as we are, if that was the case there would not have been a need for Jesus’ death, burial and resurrection for our sins. Sin has taken a back seat to it’s just all love! Nothing is wrong when there is love! I’ve heard these words uttered in the pulpit. Those words hurt my heart and spirit. Jesus bore the sin of each and every person that ever lived and will ever live and you choose to cheapen that sacrifice? It hurts. James tells us that in those trials we have a way of escape, His Word, His precepts to make it through life when times are full of temptation. 

Faith without works is dead

We are saved by grace, without that we would spend eternity away from God. That is the glorious and necessary step to walk with God, in that grace we must walk out our faith. We can’t continue to walk as we once walked, we must realize that we are not perfect as we are, and because of that love and grace God gave us His word to help us walk with Him which produces works of faith. We can’t just keep saying grace! Grace! We must start to get to know God and His ways and attempt to walk in those ways. We have countless examples in scripture of disciples who let God’s word change them from within, they led a life that was in union with God. In that union God let them know when they fell short of His precepts through His Word. We must do the same. After all, as James points out, even the demons believe in Jesus. How much like the enemy to ingratiate himself into the church under the guise of love. 

James also tells us:

• The tongue is a fire, it is set on fire by hell itself. We can tame animals, fish, and reptiles but only a walk with God can tame our tongues. His Word changes us if we let it. 
• Let our conduct reflect God. Our works are to be done with meekness and wisdom. Strife must not be present. “But if you have bitter envy and self-seeking in your hearts, do not boast and lie against the truth. That wisdom is demonic.” In our society that is inundated with Me! Me! Me! Seek Him! 
• We must submit ourselves to God. This might be hard to hear but if you choose to be a friend with the world and your old desires you are an enemy to God. If we follow our desires they will lead to strife, pride and all manner of things that are ungodly. We must submit ourselves to Him and resist the devil. He will flee from us. Wash our hands and our desires with His Word. 
• Pursue prayer and truth. What do you pursue? Is it fear and worry or is it humbly seeking God’s will for your life. James tells us it takes patience and faith that only God can give to help us reach his peace in our lives. We must continually ask God to make us aware of our sins both known and unknown. Often I ask the God to make me aware of the unknown sins in my life. 

The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man (or woman) avails much. That is true wisdom imparted to James by God. What does it mean to be effectual and fervent? It means to come with supplication. To ask humbly, earnestly and continually for God’s answer and influence on a situation. This is not a one and done action, it is continual and habitual. When we begin to do so, who makes intercession for us? Jesus Christ Himself. We open ourselves up to Father, Son and Holy Spirit in prayer. The Holy Spirit convicts us of sin, righteousness and judgement and helps us in our weakness. He also helps us to pray when we do not know how to pray.

Jesus intercedes on our behalf

Finally Jesus intercedes on our behalf. We’ve often heard, “Prayer changes things.” I agree, it may not be immediate but through patience that change comes. But most importantly, prayer not only changes things but it also changes us. In our submission to God, He can change us. Last week I read an unknown quote concerning scripture. “God did not give us the Scripture for us to change it to fit our situation, He gave us His Word to change us.” May we be open to His good plan for our lives. 

Life might feel a bit like Groundhog Day right now, but with God’s help, He can see us through. Call to Him continually and He will answer. As I wrote this article an arrangement of “Peace, Peace” was born in my mind. You can listen here.