Five Minute Friday - Prayer

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One word. Five minutes to write about it. This is the idea behind Five Minute Friday and this is today's free-writing post.

prayer changes things

the Lord's Prayer

prayer warrior

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I don't know that I'm particularly 'good' at prayer. I have friends that, in my opinion, seem to be really good at it. Praying out loud seems to be very natural for them, and they are eloquent and sincere. I know them and I know they do indeed have strong, vibrant faith, and they know Scripture, and they know the God to whom they pray. So their prayers are powerful because they know beyond a shadow of a doubt that their God hears them, and that HE is powerful. 

I also have friends who are not comfortable with praying out loud. They don't like when they are expected to pray aloud in front of others. Most of these friends are also those least likely to volunteer to give a short speech or even make announcements to a group. I'm confident that their quiet and private prayers are powerful, because they also know that God hears the cry of their hearts and HE is powerful.

Perhaps most Christ-followers are like me - somewhere in the middle. Sometimes bold in spoken prayers declaring trust in God's sovereignty, and sometimes just hoping someone else in the room will be the one to volunteer to pray aloud. Spending time in prayer but not sure we can offer advice to others on how to pray. 

Powerful prayers are not powerful because of how loud the voice or how eloquent the words. It is faith in the God who hears and sees and in his power that makes our prayers effective. It is having a relationship with God that gives us the confidence to know he hears. It is believing that Jesus Christ intercedes for us that gives us confidence to come to the throne. It is knowing that when we don't have words, the Holy Spirit does, and he translates our tongue-tied mess into the wordless pleas that only God understands. 

In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us through wordless groans. And he who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for God's people in accordance with the will of God. And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose . . . Who then is the one who condemns? No one. Christ Jesus who died - more than that, who was raised to life - is at the right hand of God and is also interceding for us. ~Romans 8:26-28, 34

Keep praying. Prayer does change things. It changes us. 

Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective. ~James 5:16

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This post is linked at Five Minute Friday for the word prompt "Prayer".

This post will also be linked at Scripture and a Snapshot hosted by Just A Second and at Inspire Me Monday.

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