Prayer moves the HANDS that rule the world

With her shawl wrapped around her shoulders, Maria hesitantly walks up to the front of the church sanctuary. She is shaking, and her heart is beating fast. Fighting back tears, she thinks all eyes are on her as she approaches a woman standing at the front of the sanctuary, smiling at her. Maria thinks the woman has kind eyes. Maria feels such a burden on her shoulders; she knows this is her last option. She needs more than the desperate pleas she sends to God inside her home. She needs prayer from one of God's people her neighbor keeps talking about. Maria hasn't attended church much, except for Christmas and Easter as a child with her grandmother. Her prayers were always, "God, if you're there, if you're real, help me!" The churchwoman takes Maria by the hand and asks for her name and how she can pray for her. Maria looks at the woman and starts to weep. All she can do is cry; she can't speak any words. The woman holds Maria and says, "God loves you so much. You are His child. He knows your heart and why you've come here today. I pray in the name of Jesus that He will help you, heal you, provide for you, and restore what has been lost." Maria doesn't know that God has already answered her prayer even though all she can do is cry: This is the faithfulness of God.

Philippians 4:6-7 is a great verse that summarizes why we pray. It says, "Do not be anxious about anything, 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 your minds in Christ Jesus." This verse says instead of dwelling on our anxious thoughts and concerns, we are to give them all to God through prayer and a thankful heart, thanking him when you pray because He hears you. God, the Creator of the universe, truly cares for you and wants to help you. In looking at the rest of the verse, "And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus." Peace is a gift given to us by Jesus. Because of your learned faith in Him, when you pray, you'll feel the peace of God in your heart and mind. The peace of God will protect you from the negativity accompanied by fear and anxiety. When a child goes to his mother or father after falling, the parent will make the child feel better by their presence, love, and care. Our Father is the same way. You can trust He cares when you go to Him with your concerns. You can trust that He is your Defender, place of refuge, Healer, Friend, Protector, and Father. Will you trust in His power to care for you?

God wants to have a relationship with us, and one of the best ways we can do this is to pray to Him. There are so many different opinions on methods of praying. While those methods are all acceptable, sometimes all people can pray is: "Help me God!" And this is pleasing to God as He meets you where you're at with what you have to give Him, for He cares about what's in your heart and that you desire to seek Him. Prayer shouldn't be a burden; it shouldn't be a challenging task. It can be as simple as a conversation with a friend. What works for one person with a Theology degree probably won't work for someone new to a relationship with God. Or whose life has become so hard that it took everything out of them to make it to church on Sunday with three kids. And honestly, if something is too hard, we won't do it. Remember, God is not looking for perfect prayers; He's looking for a sincere heart.

From the amplified Bible, 1 Thessalonians 5:17-18 advises us, "Be unceasing and persistent in prayer, (18)in every situation [no matter what the circumstances] be thankful and continually give thanks to God; for this is the will of God for you in Christ Jesus." This verse encourages us to pray consistently, which is easier than we think. The verse is a reminder that prayer is not just about asking for things but also about expressing gratitude and maintaining a continuous connection with God. One of the simplest ways to maintain a continuous prayer life is to have ongoing prayer time throughout the day. You can say things such as, "God, I love You so very much! God, I pray I get a good parking spot; you know my knee has been bothering me lately. Thank You for our beautiful sunshine today. I pray my child will get a good grade on his test today; he's been studying hard. Thank You for the restful sleep I know I will get tonight because Your word says that You grant sleep to those You love." Vs. 18 echoes the need to be thankful to God as He works within an atmosphere of praise and thanksgiving. The Bible is filled with verses urging us to express gratitude to Him. God is the source of all good things. Being thankful for His kindness and expressing our gratitude to Him strengthens our relationship and gives us a humble, grateful, and joyful heart. This continuous communication with God keeps us connected to Him at all times.

Above all, God is our loving Father, and His love for us knows no bounds. His love is our anchor, our comfort, and our strength. God longs for us to come to Him, to be drawn to Him without any barriers. Our relationship with Him and our prayers are all rooted in our faith. We need to have unwavering faith that He hears our prayers and desires to help us, which is the essence of our relationship with God-a loving Father who is always there for us, ready to listen and help, no matter what.

I've been an elder of our church for over a year now, and every Sunday, before I step out to stand at the front of the sanctuary, I pray that the Lord will give me the words to say if anyone comes to me for prayer. I depend entirely on the Lord to pray for others; I need the Holy Spirit to work through me. I have never liked praying aloud; I have always thought I sounded as if my prayers were weak. There are certainly people who sound so much more Godly than I do. But the Lord doesn't care about these things; He only cares that I am willing and have a humble heart for Him to work through me. God has also impressed upon me that it's less about me and more about the boldness of the people who come up to a stranger and share their hearts and burdens at the foot of the altar. I usually ask the person if they are comfortable joining me in praying, even if it is silently to themselves because it is their prayer and relationship with God. I've had one person say they didn't want to, and that's alright. At the end of our time together, I always ask if they have the faith of a mustard seed that the Lord will help them because God responds to faithfulness. "Truly I tell you, if you have faith the size of a mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, 'Move from here to there,' and it will move; and nothing will be impossible for you." -Mathew 17:20. I also suggest they thank Him this week. He heard the prayer; He knew what they were asking for. He responds to an atmosphere of praise, faith, and thanksgiving. "Thank you, God, for healing me. Thank you, God, for providing for me. Thank you for my child coming home."

When we pray, there is a divine reception: an act of opening ourselves up to God's blessings, favor, and grace. We don't see it, but when we pray, all prayers and petitions to God are immediately received in the heavenly realm. It is true that He already knows what we will say before we even utter a word. But when we pray, our faith in Him is activated. When we pray, He's already activating His angels to work on our behalf. It says in the Bible that our prayers are like incense to the Lord. We see in Psalm 141:2 a prayer of David, "Let my prayer be set forth before you as incense, and the lifting up of my hands as the evening sacrifice." Incense is sweet-smelling to God. The Bible says incense was used in the temple morning and evening as part of religious rituals. And when we lift our hands to Him, we humble ourselves before Him in a posture of dependence and surrender with an open heart.

1 John 5:14-15 says, "This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us. And

if we know that he hears us—whatever we ask—we know that we have what we asked of him." This verse says that if it's in His word, the Bible, it's His Will. You never have to question if it is His Will or not. If you see it in the Bible, He wants it.

Remind God of what is in His word, thank Him, and a bonus tip: always ask in the name of Jesus. We pray in Jesus' name because Jesus sacrificed on the cross for our sins, and we acknowledge His role as our Intercessor between God and us. Nowadays, it's so easy to ask Google what the Bible says about this or that. Find a Bible verse about your situation, and remind God what is in His word. For example, if you're looking for healing, find as many Bible verses as possible about healing and speak them out. Say, "God, Your word says in Jeremiah 33:6 behold, I will bring to it health and healing, and I will heal them and reveal to them abundance of prosperity and security. Psalm 41:3 says The Lord sustains him on his sickbed; in his illness you restore him to full health. Now, God, I am asking in the precious name of Jesus, you will restore me to full health." After you've prayed this prayer, believe He has healed you. Even if your faith is as small as a mustard seed, that's enough; nothing is impossible.

In Mark 11:24, Jesus says, "Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours." Believe you receive when you pray. You don't need to keep asking Him repeatedly for the same thing. Instead, say, "Thank you for hearing my prayer. Thank you for restoring my health. Thank you for being my God, good Father, Healer, Restorer, Provider, and close Friend."

You don't need to worry about how you sound when you pray, nor be afraid your prayers aren't effective, for it says in Romans 8:26-27 that the Holy Spirit, our advocate, hears our prayers and prays to the Father on our behalf. The Spirit intercedes for us, praying according to God's purpose. "In the same way, the Spirit helps us with our weakness. We do not know how to pray as we ought, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groans that words cannot express. And he who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints according to God's will."

What if you've been praying about something for a long time, and you're not seeing a breakthrough? A no from God doesn't necessarily mean no forever. It could also mean, "Wait, not yet. I love you too much to give this to you right now." The Bible speaks of God's ways being higher than ours, which means God's perspective, wisdom, and plans are far beyond human understanding. There could be a few reasons for a prayer not being answered, and we need to have faith and learn to trust in His goodness. If a prayer involves other people, it could mean God needs to work on the other party involved. He must change their heart and circumstances before the prayer can be answered. Or it could mean that if God gave you what you're asking for right now, it wouldn't be the best timing. It is hard to wait as humans, but God knows the end from the beginning; He created you and knows what is best for us and what is not. He looks after us so well, truly understanding what we need at every moment of our lives.

Keep track of the things God does for you. The times He's answered your prayers with a yes, the prayers He said no, and the things you're still waiting to come to pass. In doing so, you will be able to look back and see all the times the Lord answered a prayer with a yes, and for the no's, you'll look at it with a better understanding of why it was a no. Keeping track of your prayers will increase your faith. I keep track of my requests on my phone. I have my prayers that I have brought to God that are still waiting to come to pass; I have several yeses and a few no's. I'm genuinely okay with the no's. And the prayers that haven't been answered yet, I'm okay with also. I know God has my best interests at heart.

As an elder, sometimes people come to me with anger and unforgiveness towards another. From the words they have spoken, the anger spills out of them. After I pray for God to release this bondage and hurt, I will typically give them advice. I ask them to name one good thing about the other person and encourage them to write down other qualities when they get home. Funny story: I asked this of one lady I had been praying for for several months. I sat down with her and asked her to name one good thing about her ex-husband, and it probably took her about five uncomfortable minutes to come up with something. It was a little comical; she kept tilting her head to one side and then the other, piercing her lips. But she did eventually answer. I ask people to do this because holding onto anger and unforgiveness only hurts us: it opens the door to the devil, and it damages our spirit. But, if they can start seeing the person in a more positive light, the way God sees them, if it's just a little, it'll bring healing to their life. I also ask them to pray for the other person if they aren't already. I tell them that if they can't think of anything to pray about, then pray the Lord's prayer, which is found in Matthew 6:9-13 and Luke 11:2-4. It is a prayer that Jesus taught His disciples. When you do this faithfully, it'll get easier, and the Lord will bless you. I have heard it said that it is almost impossible to stay mad at anyone you're praying for. Unfortunately, this is true for the most part, but not always. But, by praying for another person who has wronged you, you're giving them over to God, who will not only help your hurts and pains, He's going to help the other person to change their behavior by 1st releasing the bondage Satan has over their life.

Keep praying for others. Don't just ask others if you can pray for them; tell them you are. Don't wonder if they're a Christian. You are! You're dismissing the power of God by not offering to pray for others, whether Christian or not. When you pray for others, you sow a seed, and God's angels go to work. The chains that were holding them back are loosened. Your prayers make a huge difference, even if you don't see an immediate victory. When God hears you praying for others, He sees your generous heart and will meet your needs.

"Prayer moves the hands that rule the world."-Charles Spurgeon. Prayer is one of the simplest and most rewarding actions we can do. It is the most potent force God gave us as it causes Him to make things happen that we never could on our own. Don't complicate things; talk to your heavenly Father. No prayer is ever too silly or complicated for God, so trust Him.

If you don't have a relationship with God and have never received God into your heart, pray this simple prayer, "Heavenly Father, I believe that you are the Son of God and that Jesus died for my sins. I give you my heart, forgive my sins, and fill me with your Holy Spirit. In Jesus' name, guide and help me to follow you." If you have prayed this prayer for the first time, I encourage you to join a quality bible-based church in your area. Introduce yourself. I promise you, you won't regret it.