Experiencing the Power of Prayer

"If my people who are called by my name humble themselves, and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and heal their land." -- 2 Chronicles 7:14

Today I want to talk about a subject that I have frequently wrote about in the past year - prayer. A recent study revealed that many churches in America "have lost sight of prayer and its place in the church." I do not think our church is exempt from this. Most of us get down on our knees when we are facing a big problem in our lives. We go to God for the big things and try to take care of the little things on our own. By doing this, we are assuming that prayer is about me and my problems. Some are calling churches to pray for healing of our divided nation. Another "big" prayer request. There is nothing wrong with going to God with special prayer requests, however, prayer is much more than us offering a "here are my needs" checklist to God. Prayer is what sustains us. Jesus taught his disciples, "Pray that you may not enter into temptation," yet, all of the disciples failed to temptation by abandoning Jesus at his arrested (Luke 22). So, why aren't we praying? I believe it is because we are too busy—with work, family responsibilities, and even church responsibilities. Busyness and too many activities prevent us from focusing on the main thing. Martin Luther prayed regularly for an hour each day except when he's having a busy day. Then he prayed for two hours. Luther not only understood the theology of prayer, but also believed in the power of prayer. Perhaps we have not experienced the power of prayer. There's only one way to experience this power - it is to pray. The Well Church, let us pray. Advent is a good time to start incorporating prayer in our lives. As we start the hustle and bustle of the busy season, set aside time and pray - speak to God, hear from God, intercede for one another, and pray for salvation. This is what God is desiring from us today -- to have an ongoing relationship with him. It's been noted that evangelistic churches are praying churches. As we seek to spread the gospel to our community, let us begin by becoming a praying church. My prayer is that all of us would experience God's power every day.