Day 16: Power of Prayer

I had the opportunity to speak at a Women’s Fellowship about the power of prayer. I’d like to share with you what I shared with them. My aim isn’t to persuade you of prayer’s power—the Bible already makes that clear. Instead, I felt led to discuss the difference between righteous and unrighteous prayers, because it’s only the prayers of the righteous that avail much. (James 5:16)

It’s important to know where you stand, because if you desire to have power in your prayers, you must know the source of all power, Jesus.

So, I’ll say what I told them, I’m only here to provide the information, it’s your responsibility to do something about it.

A righteous person is someone who understands the righteousness of God is through faith in Jesus Christ. (Romans 3:22).  Meaning righteousness only comes through our salvation in Christ.

They also understand that the only reason we can be in right standing with God is because of what Jesus did on the cross. Not by anything we can do, but only by what He did.

A righteous person seeks out God’s will over their own. They not only know His voice but obey it and they strive to do what is right in the eyes of God, which is made known by His Holy Spirit.

So, in short, if you have not repented of your sins & received His Holy Spirit by faith in Jesus, you are not a righteous person.

Some might argue that they are good people because they can do good things, but like it warns in Matthew 7:21-23 even if you do things in His name, He will still tell you to depart from Him, because He doesn’t know you. That’s because good works don’t produce salvation, it’s our salvation that produces good works. Well at least the works that are pleasing to God.

The Bible says that the Lord is far from the wicked, but He hears the prayer of the righteous. (Proverbs 15:29)

As I reflected on prayer this morning, I read over Psalm 34:15-17 where it says that the eyes of the Lord are toward the righteous & His ears toward their cry. The face of the Lord is against those who do evil, to cut the memory of them from earth. When the righteous cry for help, the Lord hears & delivers them out of all their troubles.

For the righteous, our salvation will always be proof of how powerful prayer is, so there is no need to convince you that prayer is powerful.

The question is not if prayer is powerful, the question is whether He hears us. Because those who know He does, know that He has never forsaken the righteous.