Prayers Mighty Power Series

Annual Sermons: Vol. 5 No. 8

Text: Heb. 4:16; James 5:16

Concord Baptist Church: 1991 Bob Marcaurelle

Catalog of Sermons and Bible Studies

bmarcaurelle@charter.net

PRAYER’S MIGHTY POWER

Today (January 13, 1991) the armies of the world stand poised for war in what could be a nuclear holocaust of Armageddon. And in the light of it I call you and me to prayer for peace if peace is God’s will.

The most powerful weapon on earth is not found in our nuclear warheads but on our knees. Prayer moves the arm that rules the world. Prayer can do what God can do. More things are wrought by prayer than this world dreams of. Prayer changes things and prayer changes people.

One hour of prayer can tear down what the devil has been building for years.

All these are quotes on prayer that I pulled from my notebook on prayer and all are true. Somebody summed it up like this. . .

“Prayer is the mightiest power upon

which men can lay hold in time of need.

Moses prayed and Amalek was beaten.

Hannah prayed and Samuel was born

some months later in answer to her

petition. Hezekiah prayed and the and

angel of the Lord slew 185,000 of the

enemies of Israel. Daniel prayed and

the mouths of ferocious, hungry lions

were stopped. Elijah prayed and a

great drought followed. The early

church assembled together and prayed,

and Peter was released from his jail cell

by an angel. Paul and Silas prayed and

the doors of the dungeon where they

were imprisoned were shaken open.

Prayer has divided seas, has stemmed the

tide of flowing rivers, has put to naught

the power of fire, has made harmless

the deadly venom of serpents, and stopped

the course of the sun and moon. Through

it God’s children have overcome demons

and the most dreaded of foes. Prayer

has quelled the wild powers of evil men,

and whole armies of proud, boasting

unbelievers have been put to flight. It

has brought a man from the depths of

the sea to dry land, and restored to life

those who had been clutched in the icy

grip of that gloomy specter called death.

What hath not prayer wrought?”

I. PRAYER AND OUR SCRIPTURE

This is why God in His word calls prayerlessness a sin (I Sam. 12:23) and commands and encourages us to pray.

(Read: ( Ch. 16:11; 2 Ch. 7:14; Ps. 56:9; Ps. 145:18; Mt. 7:7-8; Rom. 8:26; Phil. 4:6; Heb. 4:16 and Js. 5:16.)

This is why God in His word promises us He will hear and answer our prayers.

(Read: Ps. 91:15; Ps. 145:18-19; Isa. 58:9; Mt. 18:19-20; Mt. 21:22; I Jn. 5:14-15.)

When Gehazi was sent by Abraham to a far away land to find a wife for Isaac, he turned his face to heaven and asked for help. He said, “God, let the girl of your choice come to the town well and when I ask her for a drink, let her offer to water my camels also. Before he even finished his prayer, the beautiful virgin Rebekah walked up and did exactly what he said (Gen. 24).

Barren Hanna went to church year after year to weep over her barrenness but when she cried to the Lord in tears, Samuel was born (1 Sam. 1). When Solomon asked God for wisdom, he became the wisest man on earth (1 K. 3:9). The Bible says, “And men came from all nations to listen to the wisdom of Solomon” (1 Kn. 4:34). When a mighty coalition of warriors came up to ravage Jerusalem, King Jehoshaphat went to the house of God to pray.

God sent his preacher, Jahaziel to him with the answer, “Don’t be afraid to go out against them tomorrow, for the battle is not yours, but the Lord’s!” They went out, not with swords but with songs and God confused the armies so that they killed each other and all Judah had to do was gather the spoils that were left (2 Ch. 20).

One of the greatest examples of prayer under the clouds of war came during the time of Hezekiah and Isaiah. The strongest, bloodiest nation on earth, Assyria, under Sennacherib with 185,000 soldiers laid siege to Jerusalem. He called Hezekiah a trapped bird in a cage and in a letter to him promised to burn the city, kill the men and take the women and children captive.

Hezekiah took this letter to the house of the Lord and prayed for the help of heaven. He contacted his pastor, Isaiah, and Isaiah told him he had nothing to fear because Sennacherib would return home and die by the sword in his own land. And the army he left behind would be dealt with by the Lord.

Sennacherib heard a rumor of an invasion, returned home, and several years later was murdered by his own sons, according to the word of the Lord. And what about the 185,000 soldiers he left behind? The man on the watchtower cried out to Hezekiah, “The enemies sleep like dead men.” The angel of the Lord had swept through the Assyrian army and 185,000 were dead! One old time preacher said, “The only problem Israel had with these Assyrians was burying them.” God answers prayer.