The power of prayer

[Blain DeCastro]

So for as long as I have been a believer prayer has not come easily for me. What I mean is I can pray for someone as I have many times but rarely if ever have seen prayer do anything. More often than not I have seen people be helped by my words rather than prayer. I pray for the hurting the confused, the ones battling against their struggles. But I can pray and pray until my face is blue but nothing ever happens, and I have been told that I don't know how far my prayers actually go, or that it is a waiting kind of thing or that it wasn't his will. Every answer you can think of I have heard it

But according to scripture if we ask we will receive if we seek we will find. Jesus himself said if you ask anything in my name my father in heaven will give it to you. And don't get me wrong I believe in prayer I believe it only takes one heart willing to pray to make a change. I just don't for whatever reason have the ability to pray for others let alone myself

So after years of this I have come to the conclusion that prayer just doesn't work for me, even when people pray for me nothing ever happens and believe me I need it.

I considered making a prayer request because of my dire need for it, but didn't because what is the point when people pray for me all the time yet nothing changes, and again I just receive the same answers to wait it is in his timing, but after so long of the same thing how am I suppose to believe it matters?

I mean just once I wish I could receive prayer and actually see the hand of God move, just once I wish that my beleiving in prayer wasn't in vain just once I wish my prayers could actually make a difference for people.

I recall Jesus saying blessed are those who beleive without seeing well that is basically it for me I beleive in prayer even though I have never seen it do anything but how am I blessed for this?

 

[bramblewild]

It's very easy for us to see prayer in a mechanistic way--if I pray long enough or with enough fervor or if I say the right words or use the right formula, then I will get what I pray for.

Prayer isn't a machine, nor is it some kind of magical incantation where we with our words try to manipulate spirits or other forces.

God invites us to pray to Him, to ask Him for what we need. That doesn't mean He will automatically do what we want Him to do.

Paul wrote about a time He prayed about something he called a "thorn in his flesh", but the answer he received was not the removal of that thorn, but "My grace is enough for you". And Paul seems to have been satisfied and even happy with that answer, "I will rejoice in my sufferings and hardships".

Don't believe in prayer: believe and trust the God you are praying to.

 

[Blain DeCastro]

It's very easy for us to see prayer in a mechanistic way--if I pray long enough or with enough fervor or if I say the right words or use the right formula, then I will get what I pray for.

Prayer isn't a machine, nor is it some kind of magical incantation where we with our words try to manipulate spirits or other forces.

God invites us to pray to Him, to ask Him for what we need. That doesn't mean He will automatically do what we want Him to do.

Paul wrote about a time He prayed about something he called a "thorn in his flesh", but the answer he received was not the removal of that thorn, but "My grace is enough for you". And Paul seems to have been satisfied and even happy with that answer, "I will rejoice in my sufferings and hardships".

Don't believe in prayer: believe and trust the God you are praying to.

Yes this is true and I understand your point but what then is the point of prayer and why should we pray if this is always the answer?

I mean I don't even know what to pray for anymore, what I can pray for or how to pray because of years of not seeing it do anything.

Is it something wrong with me is it just something some can do and others cannot or is it just not even something that actually matters?

Do my prayers even matter at all?

 

[hawkman]

What I mean is I can pray for someone as I have many times but rarely if ever have seen prayer do anything more often than not I have seen people be helped by my words rather than prayer.

Could it be the words of help you tell them are the answer to the prayers . When you pray for them God uses you as the instrument through which the people in need are touched by God .

 

[Blain DeCastro]

Could it be the words of help you tell them are the answer to the prayers . When you pray for them God uses you as the instrument through which the people in need are touched by God .

I suppose that could be the case, honestly I do it because in my mind I am thinking well if you aren't going to do anything I will.

I am on reddit a lot because there are a lot of hurting and confused even suicidal people on there and I mean a lot of them

And even though I pray for them they keep coming on there with the same issues one person was struggling for months and my prayers did nothing and I just got sick of praying with no results so I stepped in and got the job done.

I am good with words and I am gifted with knowing just what to say so i suppose if God was using me to answer prayer it would be in that way but then what about me and the prayers people do for me? I need prayer for my situation that I am in and people have prayed over and over for me but nothing and I honestly don't understand why

It is just so strange, I believe in prayer but why can some people pray for someone and God moves while others like me can pray even for ourselves and he does nothing? what makes a prayer warrior so good at their gifting?

I wish I could pray for people and even myself but I must be doing something wrong because even when people pray for me nothing changes.

What is truly strange is my unyielding belief in the power of prayer even though I cannot receive it, it is almost crazy really.

 

[WIP]

So for as long as I have been a believer prayer has not come easily for me. What I mean is I can pray for someone as I have many times but rarely if ever have seen prayer do anything more often than not I have seen people be helped by my words rather than prayer. I pray for the hurting the confused the ones battling against their struggles but I can pray and pray until my face is blue but nothing ever happens and I have been told that I don't know how far my prayers actually go or that it is a waiting kind of thing or that it wasn't his will every answer you can think of I have heard it

But according to scripture if we ask we will receive if we seek we will find Jesus himself said if you ask anything in my name my father in heaven will give it to you
And don't get me wrong I believe in prayer I believe it only takes one heart willing to pray to make a change I just don't for whatever reason have the ability to pray for others let alone myself

So after years of this I have come to the conclusion that prayer just doesn't work for me even when people pray for me nothing ever happens and believe me I need it

I considered making a prayer request because of my dire need for it but didn't because what is the point when people pray for me all the time yet nothing changes and again I just receive the same answers to wait it is in his timing but after so long of the same thing how am I suppose to believe it matters?

I mean just once I wish I could receive prayer and actually see the hand of God move, just once I wish that my beleiving in prayer wasn't in vain just once I wish my prayers could actually make a difference for people.

I recall Jesus saying blessed are those who beleive without seeing well that is basically it for me I beleive in prayer even though I have never seen it do anything but how am I blessed for this?

Do not be discouraged. Sometimes the answer we seek isn't the answer that is best for us or the answer may not come until later. The bottom line is that we are to trust God in ALL things and that includes knowing that He hears all of our prayers.

Consider that Jesus, knowing what lied ahead, three times prayed earnestly (sweating with what was like drops of blood, Luke 22:44) for the cup to be taken away but in the end, He trusted the Father as demonstrated when He said, "Not by my will but Your will be done."

You wrote, "But according to scripture if we ask we will receive if we seek we will find Jesus himself said if you ask anything in my name my father in heaven will give it to you." This is true but Scripture also says this.

Now this is the confidence that we have in Him, that if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us.
1 John 5:14 NKJV

Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, in everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.
1 Thessalonians 16-18 NKJV

I'll share a couple examples I witnessed when prayers played a part. I truly believe these were examples of prayers that were answered as hoped.

I am a member of a men's Christian chorus. We are just a bunch of men, neighbors, that enjoy getting togehter and singing and occasionally sing at events. About 15 years ago our director was diagnosed with a cancerous brain tumor, I think it was about the size of a baseball, but my member may be a little fuzzy. He was given just a couple weeks to live. As a group, we all gathered around him, laid hands on him, and prayed for healing. It was a very touching moment but we truly asked for him to be healed. According to his wife, a few days later he was in their bathroom when he suddenly yelled out with a loud voice, "I am going to live! I am going to live!" After this, he began to use his condition as a stepping stone to sharing the gospel with people around him. Miraculously, his tumor began to shrink to the amazement of his doctors and he lived for another 10 years. We truly believe God gave us the answer we were asking for. Why God chose to do that, we can only attribute it to His mercy.

I also attend a weekly men's prayer breakfast and one of the fellows in our group was dealing with Parkinson's disease. We included him in our weekly prayers and some of us included him in our daily personal prayers. About two years ago, he was visiting with his doctor and was informed he no longer had Parkinson's. We attribute this again to prayers being answered in the affirmative by God's grace.

Remember, never give up!

To God be the glory!!

Amen.

 

[Fish153]

Blain----

I really mean this when I say that it is very possible that sometimes we "forget" prayers made in earnest to God that he truly answers some time later. I have had this happen several times in my life. I will give you one example--and in giving this example I am confessing "backsliding" and "lack of faith" many years ago.

I had moved from one area in Los Angeles down to Orange County in California. I must confess that I had become a Christian at 17 years of age and had "strayed" in my relationship with the Lord. I had gotten married and had a small child, but in my heart I regretted my choices. This "move" (due to a company change) had isolated me even further than I had been before. I was truly LONELY and literally had NO FRIENDS. Sure-I had old friends I could call that lived far away, but they were few and far between. I had no one to interact with at all.

I began to blame God for this isolation. I mean---he knows everything right? Why had he allowed this to happen? I was miserable. I began to pray "God, I pray you would bring me a Christian friend". I would cry out to God with tears and sorrow. I would pray with all my heart! I continued asking for several months--complaining at the same time that God hadn't answered me! After some time I began to think "God doesn't hear a thing I'm saying, or if he does, He's ignoring me or just saying "no". As you can tell I had a very bad attitude, and a very false conception of God.

I finally gave up praying as I read a verse that said "he that would have friends must show himself friendly" from Proverbs. I complained that I was to shy to be "friendly", and absolutely refused to go to church because they are all "hypocrits anyway". I started to backslide heavily again, and added beer drinking to my already very sad life.

My wife was working as a waitress at a coffee shop in the afternoon to early evenings. One night she came home and mentioned a lady that had come in and was trying to befriend my wife. My wife really didn't like her very much. She told my wife she was a Christian. My wife mentioned to this lady that I was a Christian also---though not a very good one (lol). About a week or so later the same lady came in with her husband. My wife didn't like him either---and this guy talked about God a lot. The lady asked my wife if maybe I would like to meet her husband since we had beliefs in common. I told my wife "no way" as I was really isolated and didn't really want anyone interfering in my life (my beer drinking at night was pretty important to me).

One night my wife came home and said that this lady and her husband would be over soon to meet me. I was furious! It's so funny when I think about it now--they came over and I spent most of my time upstairs alone in the room drinking beer. But I did meet the man and he spoke to me about the Lord. I still don't know why I agreed, but he asked if he could come over once a week and have a little "Bible study". I thought that maybe one day a week wouldn't be a big deal.

To make a long story short----his effect upon me brought me back to the Lord, and he became for the next five years one of the closest friends I have ever had! Now, I mention this little story because I did not realize until later that the Lord had answered that prayer I made to him for a friend despite myself. I had not "shown myself friendly" to anyone. I didn't deserve a friend. But the Lord used the man's wife approaching my wife to open the door for this man to become my friend!

I didn't realize until later that the Lord HAD ANSWERED MY PRAYER most DEFINITELY! It had taken a long time (not according to MY schedule---but God's schedule). It had not been answered how I imagined or thought it should be. But IT WAS ANSWERED. So much time had passed that I did not remember praying for a friend so deseperately. But the Lord hadn't forgotten. And He DID answer. He just answered in His own timing, and in His own way!

There are several other examples I can give in my life where this has happened also. I will tell you, and mean this very sincerely that GOD DOES ANSWER PRAYER. And the prayer he answers is usually the kind where you have cried out with all your heart, and for things that will bless you for years---not immediate satisfaction.

I would encourage you to examine your life closely. Things may have happened in your life that you do not associate with answered prayer---WHEN THEY ARE. And if you cannot find anything like that I encourage you to keep praying earnestly and sincerely. God is not deaf, and He truly loves you. What God wants you to possess more than anything else is FAITH---so he may be testing you to see if you will keep asking and seeking despite all odds. I "gave up" on getting a friend---and God answered my prayer anyway--I believe to show me that he did hear me when I was praying. Please read this verse:

"Who is among you that fears the Lord, that obeys the voice of his servant, that walks in darkness, and has no light? let him trust in the name of the Lord, and stay upon his God". (ISAIAH 50:10)

Note that the person being described is an obedient person--seeking God and listening to his Pastors and teachers. And yet this person is "walking in darkness". Why? To LEARN to "trust in the name of the Lord, and stay upon his God". What I'm trying to say Blain is that you are in a place where you are questioning whether God hears or answers prayers. You feel like you are in "darkness" in a way. You see no light--you see no answers. But this could be because the Lord is about to release answers to prayer very soon----or maybe he HAS and you just aren't keeping your eyes open. I apologize for the long post. But I often have to remind myself when I begin to doubt God hears or answers of all the times God HAS answered prayers----maybe not in the time-frame I wanted, or in the WAY I wanted. Remember that the Greek is really "Keep on seeking and you will find. "Keep on asking and you will receive". "Keep on knocking and it will be opened". I am here on this board to say that God DOES HEAR and ANSWER PRAYER. I can give more testimony to that fact any time you want to hear it. LOL ***By the way---it has been 18 years and 9 months as of 10-15-25 since I last drank alcohol.---another answer to prayer!

P.S. WIP----I think you may have posted just before I posted mine. Thanks for your testimony! God bless you!

 

[Blain DeCastro]

Thank you WIP and Fish153 your replies were very encouraging and full of truth I admit I was considering giving up on prayer as I just figured I am one of those people that just cannot do prayer but your words and testimonies gave me hope and for that I am very grateful

 

[for_his_glory]

Prayer is very hard for some people as they do not know how to pray or they think there should be some grand format to follow to make a perfect prayer. Some are even afraid to even approach Jesus as they feel he is unreachable in their lives for the way they live, but Jesus will hear the prayers of anyone who has a sincere heart for the Lord no matter who they are and in all boldness will come to him.
(Hebrews 4:16; 7:25)

Praying is humbling ourselves before the Lord and making a petition before him in simplicity of words for whatever our need is. Jesus, as our mediator, sits at the right hand of God making intercession for the saints of God as he presents our petitions before the Father. You do not need eloquent elaborate words or long prayers that use vain repetitions like the Pharisees used as God called them hypocrites because they were arrogant in their ways loving to have others see them in such formality who made the outside of themselves look good, but were nothing more than full of iniquity.
(Romans 8:24; 1Timothy 2:5; Matthew 6:5-8; Matthew 23:27-28)

Jesus is our mediator to the Father and just wants us to sit and talk with him like we would sit and talk with our best friend. Our prayer language needs to be in this same way. When you have a need just talk to him and speak from your heart. We do not have to be repetitious in our prayers as Jesus already heard you the first time. Pray once and then stand strong in faith to know God has heard your prayer and then just keep praising him and thanking him for his answer to your prayer even though you might not see an answer yet, but know that God in his timing will answer you. Gods answer may not be what we want to hear at times and his answer can be no at times, but God knows what is better for us then we do and we need to trust in this.

Faith is to know Gods will in what you are praying for. A good example of this is to take the subject of what you are praying for and find scripture for that to see what God has already declared. Example: You are praying for a health issue. You might want to look up scriptures for what God says about our health and then claim those scriptures in your prayers for healing.

There are also conditions in a prayer of faith that could stop God from answering your prayer and that is the condition of our heart. The biggest thing that can shut down the power of God in our prayers is lack of faith, doubt and unforgiveness. Faith is believing in something even though you can not see it, but knowing the evidence exist. Take wind for instance, you can not see it, but you can see the evidence of it as trees sway in its breeze. This is the same with God as we can not see him for he is spirit, but we know the evidence of him through his power and action in our lives.

Doubt is nothing more than sin of unbelief. If you are doubting that God can move in your life and change what needs changing then nothing will change. Many of us doubted those things of God that could change our lives, but when you give faith that is the size of a mustard seed a chance to germinate in your life through the watering of his word that seed will grow to maturity in knowing that God is always in control and will give you those desires of your heart as he sees fit to do as only God knows what is best for us and his timing is always perfect.

Forgiveness is an important factor that can hinder our prayers if we have any unforgiveness towards others.
(Mark 11:22-26)

It is easy to say we have committed ourselves to God and trust him in all things until temptations; trails and tribulations come our way and we soon lose focus on the promises of God and allow the despairs of our heart turn us away from Gods throne of grace. God never tempts us, but he will allow Satan to test our faith if we leave that door opened for Satan to enter in. The only thing Satan can steal from us is our faith and belief in the word of God so we need to be watchful and guard ourselves from those devices Satan will use against us.

​

 

[Beetow]

.
● Col 4:2 . . Devote yourselves to prayer, being watchful and thankful.

The Greek word translated "devote" means to persevere; viz: not give up and/or
lose interest.

● Luke 18:1 . . And he spoke a parable unto them to this end: that people ought
always to pray, and not lose heart.

For many of us, prayer is a last resort; a grasping at straws because we simply
have nowhere else to turn. We wish for success with prayer, while not really
expecting it because we already know from plenty of experience that prayer too
often leads into a cul-de-sac of perplexity and discouragement; so then, what's the
use? In other words: prayer is very difficult for some Christians because it's often
so futile.

Why doesn't God respond? And if He's not going to respond, then why keep on
making a fool of ourselves trying to get through to an imaginary playmate when all
the while its phone is off the hook?

It was this very issue that led Mother Teresa of Calcutta to question whether there
really is a God out there. During virtually her entire five decades in India, Teresa
felt not the slightest glimmer of the Lord's presence and suffered a good deal of
anxiety wondering why Christ abandoned her.

In one of Teresa's private letters, penned to a Father Picachy, Teresa complained:
"I am told God loves me; and yet the reality of darkness & coldness & emptiness is
so great that nothing touches my soul."

In yet another letter, Teresa complained: "When I try to raise my thoughts to
Heaven, there is such convicting emptiness that those very thoughts return like
sharp knives and hurt my very soul. How painful is this unknown pain-- I have no
faith."

If the most pious nun the 20th century ever produced found heaven's phone lines
dead for virtually five decades, then why should John Que and Jane Doe pew
warmer persist with prayer? Well; primarily because it's required. I would suppose
that's reason enough for most. I mean; were God to ask us to throw a baseball at
the Moon every so often; wouldn't we comply just to please Him, even knowing we
couldn't possibly hit it?
_