12/04/2023
Your Prayers Have Power
If you have taken on the name of Christ, you have clout with the most powerful being in the universe. When you speak, God listens. When you pray, heaven takes note. Jesus said, “When two of you get together on anything at all on earth and make a prayer of it, my Father in heaven goes into action” (Matthew 18:19 MSG). Your prayers impact the actions of God.
Consider Elijah. He lived during a dark time in Israel’s history when the evil king Ahab went after idols and worshiped the pagan god Baal. Elijah called for a showdown: the true God of Israel against the false god of the pagans. Elijah was confident in his attack against the prophets of Baal on behalf of Jehovah, the God of Israel. Why? Because he had prayed.
In this showdown, the one who answered the challenge and sent fire from heaven would be declared the true God. So the prophets of Baal prayed, pleaded, and cut themselves with fervent devotion. But there was no answer. Elijah taunted them, and then took his turn.
Elijah prayed in confidence to the true God, asking Him to answer in a way that would show the people He was the only Lord and that He was turning the hearts of His people back to Him. He left the rest in God’s hands . . . and God answered immediately with fire from heaven!
God delighted in hearing Elijah’s prayer. Nine centuries later, James used the prayers of Elijah as a model: “When a believing person prays, great things happen. Elijah was a human being just like us. He prayed that it would not rain, and it did not rain on the land for three and a half years! Then Elijah prayed again, and the rain came down from the sky, and the land produced crops again” (James 5:16–18 NCV).
God delights in hearing your prayers. But why? Why would your prayers matter? Why would God listen to your ideas? Simple. Your prayers matter to God because you matter to God. You aren’t just anybody . . . you are His child.
Will God do what you ask? Perhaps. Or perhaps He will do more than you imagined. He knows what is best. Regardless, stand firm on this promise: “When a believing person prays, great things happen” (James 5:16 NCV).
You are never without hope, because you are never without prayer. You may find yourself in an impossible situation. You may feel outnumbered and outmaneuvered. You may want to quit. But for such times, memorize this promise and ask God to bring it to your mind.
Prayer is not the last resort—it is the first step. God has power you’ve never seen and strength you’ve never known. He delighted in Elijah’s prayer and answered it. He delights in you, and He will answer your prayers as well.
Respond
How would you describe your conversations with God? How can the truth of James 5:16 impact the way you talk to God?
Why can it be difficult to trust God to answer your prayers? How does confidence that God will do what is best help you trust His answers?
What person in your life would you like to witness having his heart turned back to God? What great things will you pray for God to do in that person’s life?
This reading plan includes ten daily devotions based on Max Lucado’s book and small-group curriculum Unshakable Hope: Building Our Lives on the Promises of God, on sale August 7, 2018 . During this study, you will explore ten key promises of God found in the Bible and learn how these promises offe...
