Prayers of the Saints

There is something very humbling about the nature of prayer. As my pastor would contend, the 'power of prayer' is really just the power of God. There is no inherent power in prayer. Thus, when God chooses to wrap Himself up in a cloud 'so that no prayer can pass through,' He shows that He owes us no obligations (Lam. 3:44). Prayer is not a vending machine. And if it is, then it only works when God wants it to.

I can only imagine the stories we'll hear in heaven. A missionary who was strengthened by the prayers of his sick mother thousands of miles away. A great pastor who survived college only because of the prayers of his six year old sister. Thousands of people who received new birth through the Holy Spirit in response to the prayers of faithful saints. How many of your own prayers God will show you the answer to. He'll take you aside and show you that He was listening, even though it felt like He wasn't.

One of my favorite things about prayer is that it levels the Christian playing field. When God is the one working, He can use any of His servants to perform the same task. He listens to the 40 year old pastor as well as the 10 year old girl. I'd like to think that God builds his church on the prayers of the young and the weak Christians. Perhaps for no other reason than to humble the strong and show off His strength.

Please continue to pray. Much of the fruit will not be seen until that Day, but continue to believe that it will be worth it. Prayer may very well be the most fruitful practice of the Christian life. The only catch is that you must believe that God hears and answers, and that can be difficult. May God give us eyes to see that He is working!