The Power Of Prayer
script.
James 5:16-18 (NIV) 16Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective.17Elijah was a man just like us. He prayed earnestly that it would not rain, and it did not rain on the land for three and a half years. 18Again he prayed, and the heavens gave rain, and the earth produced its crops.
Introduction:
THE "OUR FATHER" PRAYER:
Do I Really Mean What I Pray?
Mother Teresa of Calcutta once said, "Praying the Our Father and living
it will lead us toward saintliness. The Our Father contains everything:
God, ourselves, our neighbors...."
Examine how well you live what you pray as you meditate on the
following:
I cannot say OUR if I keep my faith only to myself and never share it
with others.
I cannot say FATHER if I do not trust in His loving and complete
concern for me, forgetting that He always answers prayers how and when
He knows is best.
I cannot say WHO ART IN HEAVEN if I am so attached to the ways of this
world that I neglect to seek God first in everything.
I cannot say HALLOWED BE THY NAME if I am unwilling to let His
holiness penetrate my life and help me grow in my own holiness.
I cannot say THY KINGDOM COME if I am not using my life to bring His
love into the world.
I cannot say THY WILL BE DONE if I live by my own ideas of morality or
choose to follow the world’s standards.
I cannot say ON EARTH AS IT IS IN HEAVEN if I am not devoting my life
to serving Him here on earth.
I cannot say GIVE US THIS DAY OUR DAILY BREAD if I am not willing to
be generous with whatever God gives me.
I cannot say FORGIVE US OUR TRESPASSES if I don’t want to put forth
enough effort to change.
I cannot say AS WE FORGIVE THOSE WHO TRESPASS AGAINST US if I still
hold a grudge, if I’m still angry, or if I still insist that other
people change.
I cannot say LEAD US NOT INTO TEMPTATION if I deliberately or
knowingly place myself in a position to be tempted.
I cannot say DELIVER US FROM EVIL if I’m not actively fighting against
evil through deeds of love and service for everyone in my life,
especially those who cause problems.
-- Author Unknown
Our prayers do not mean a thing without faith that they will be answered.
The power of prayer is
I. Dependent upon our Faith:
1. Matt. 21:21-22 (NIV) 21Jesus replied, ¡§I tell you the truth, if you have faith and do not doubt, not only can you do what was done to the fig tree, but also you can say to this mountain, ¡¥Go, throw yourself into the sea,¡¦ and it will be done. 22If you believe, you will receive whatever you ask for in prayer.¡¨
2. If you have faith and do not doubt you will receive whatever you ask for in prayer.
3. All we have to do is believe, we have faith for other things.
4. Faith that every time we turn the light on, that it will work.
5. We believe that the world is round without to much trouble even though we¡¦ve never seen it from space with our own eyes.
6. We believe that there are billions of other galaxies out in space even though we¡¦ve never seen them either.
7. We believe a lot of things that other people tell us often without question.
8. Why can¡¦t we believe in God that he will do what he say¡¦s he will do?
9. But, this is just one promise of many that we can stand on during times of prayer that will strengthen our faith.
10. It also say¡¦s
11. And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him. Heb. 11:6 (NIV)
12. So without faith we cannot please God, we must have faith in him.
13. Faith to calm our fears, faith to care for our needs, faith to see our loved ones give their lives to him, faith to know he loves us, faith to know he will always be there for us.
14. If we do not have faith it is impossible for us to be Christians.
15. The basis of our salvation is the faith that he saves us from all our sins.
16. That beginning faith then builds into a life living in complete trust in God for everything that comes our way.
(This is an interesting way to remember prayer)
II. Your Hand In Prayer:
1. Your thumb is nearest to you. So begin your prayers by praying for
those closest to you. They are the easiest to ones to remember. To pray
for our loved ones is, as C.S. Lewis once said, a "sweet duty."
2. The next finger is the pointing finger. Pray for those who teach,
instruct and heal. This includes teachers, doctors, and ministers. They
need support and wisdom for pointing others in the right direction.
Keep them in your prayers.
3. The next finger is the tallest finger. It reminds us of our leaders.
Pray for the president, leaders in business and industry, and
administrators. These people shape our nation and guide public opinion. They need God’s guidance.
4. The fourth finger is our ring finger. Surprising to many is the fact
that this is our weakest finger; as any piano teacher will testify. It
should remind us to pray for those who are weak, in trouble or in pain.
They need your prayers day and night. You cannot pray too much for them.
5. And lastly comes our little finger, the smallest finger of all, which
is where we should place ourselves in relation to God and others. As the Bible says, "The least shall be the greatest among you." Your pinkie should remind you to pray for yourself. By the time you have prayed for the other four groups, your own needs will be put into proper perspective and you will be able to pray for yourself more effectively.
6. When you find it hard to get to sleep tonight; Just remember the
homeless family who has no bed to lie in.
7. When you find yourself stuck in traffic; don’t despair. There are people
in this world for whom driving is an unheard of privilege.
8. When you have a bad day at work, think of the man who has been out of work for the last three months.
9. When you despair over a relationship gone bad, think of the person who has never known what it’s like to love and be loved in return.
10. When you grieve the passing of another weekend, think of the woman in dire straits, working twelve hours a day, seven days a week, for $15.00 to feed her family.
11. When your car breaks down, leaving you miles away from assistance, think of the paraplegic who would love the opportunity to take that walk.
12. When you notice a new gray hair in the mirror, think of the cancer
patient in chemo who wishes she had hair to examine.
13. When you find yourself at a loss, and pondering what is life all about,
what is my purpose, be thankful. There are those who didn’t live long
enough to get the opportunity.
14. When you find yourself the victim of other people’s bitterness,
ignorance, smallness or insecurities, remember, things could be worse.
You could be them. -- Author Unknown
III. The power of prayer is Unlimited to those who abide in Christ:
1. John 15:5-8 (NIV) 5¡§I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing. 6If anyone does not remain in me, he is like a branch that is thrown away and withers; such branches are picked up, thrown into the fire and burned. 7If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be given you. 8This is to my Father¡¦s glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples.
2. If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be given you.
3. If we are living for Jesus with all our hearts no good thing will he with hold from you.
4. Those you love you will give them anything as long as it is in their best interest.
5. Jesus is the same with us.
6. He loves to hear from us no matter what our prayers sound like as long as they come from the heart.
7. SIX YEAR OLD’S PRAYER
Last week I took my children to a restaurant. My six-year-old son had asked if he could say grace. As we bowed our heads he said, "God is good. God is great. Thank you for the food, and I would even thank you more if Mom gets us ice cream for dessert. And Liberty and justice for all, amen."
Along with the laughter from the other customers nearby, I heard a woman remark, "That’s what’s wrong with this country. Kids today don’t even know how to pray. Asking God for ice-cream. Why, I never."
Hearing this, my son burst into tears and asked me, "Did I do it wrong? Is God mad at me?"
As I held him and assured him that he had done a terrific job and God was certainly not mad at him.
An elderly gentleman approached the table. He winked at my son and said, "I happen to know that God thought that was a great prayer."
"Really?", my son asked. Then in a theatrical whisper he added (indicating the woman whose remark had started this whole thing), "Too bad she never asks God for ice cream. A little ice cream is good for the soul sometimes."
Naturally, I bought my kids ice cream at the end of the meal. My son stared at his for a moment and then did something I will remember the rest of my life.
He picked up his sundae and without a word walked over and placed it in front of the woman. With a big smile he told her, "Here, this is for you. Ice cream is good for the soul sometimes, and my soul is good already."
Author Unknown
8. When God blesses us in our prayers we will naturally give to others has he has freely given to us.
(The power of prayer will come through in our lives for prayer was)
IV. Manifested In the life of Elijah:
1. James 5:16-18 (NIV) 16Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective.17Elijah was a man just like us. He prayed earnestly that it would not rain, and it did not rain on the land for three and a half years. 18Again he prayed, and the heavens gave rain, and the earth produced its crops.
2. What is neat about Elijah is that he was human just like you and me.
3. If God can answer his prayer he can answer our prayers as well.
4. One small prayer leads to bigger prayers.
5. One little trust in God will lead to trusting him more.
6. Answers to prayer will help us to be thankful and grateful.
7. Our worshiping will gain greater importance due to the answers to prayer he has given us.
A voyaging ship was wrecked during a storm at sea and only two of the
men on it were able to swim to a small, desert like island. The two
survivors, not knowing what else to do, agreed that they had no other
recourse but to pray to God. However, to find out whose prayer was more
powerful, they agreed to divide the territory between them and stay on
opposite sides of the island.
The first thing they prayed for was food. - The next morning, the first
man saw a fruit-bearing tree on his side of the land, and he was able to
eat its fruit. The other man’s parcel of land remained barren.
After a week, the first man was lonely and he decided to pray for a
wife. The next day, another ship was wrecked, and the only survivor was
a woman who swam to his side of the land. On the other side of the
island, there was nothing.
Soon the first man prayed for a house, clothes, more food. - The next
day, like magic, all of these were given to him. However, the second man
still had nothing.
Finally, the first man prayed for a ship, so that he and his wife could
leave the island. - In the morning, he found a ship docked at his side
of the island. The first man boarded the ship with his wife and decided
to leave the second man on the island. He considered the other man
unworthy to receive God’s blessings, since none of his prayers had been
answered.
As the ship was about to leave, the first man heard a voice from heaven
booming, "Why are you leaving your companion on the island?" "My
blessings are mine alone, since I was the one who prayed for them," the
first man answered. "His prayers were all unanswered and so he does not
deserve anything."
"You are mistaken!" the voice rebuked him. "He had only one prayer,
which I answered. If not for that, you would not have received any of my
blessings."
"Tell me," the first man asked the voice, "What did he pray for that I
should owe him anything?"
"He prayed that all your prayers be answered."
For all we know, our blessings are not the fruits of our prayers alone,
but those of another praying for us.
Author Unknown
8. We need to pray for others for God to reveal himself to them as he has revealed himself to you.
9. We need to tell others how God has answered our prayers thereby giving them the faith to believe as well.
Conclusion:
The prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective. The greatest single most important deed we can do as a Christian is to pray.
