Throwback Thursday – The Power of Prayer

It’s Throwback Thursday! Do you believe that prayer is powerful? I admit that prayer today seems almost powerless at times. We ask for the Lord to heal and he doesn’t do it or we pray for a job and it doesn’t come. Should we conclude that prayer doesn’t work because we don’t get the answer we were looking for? Absolutely not! God answers prayer in His timing and in His own way. Perhaps he knows that the thing we ask for is not good for us or a better job is just around the corner. We should always be patient and not lose heart when praying. Whenever I get down and lose my faith in prayer, I like to pick up my favorite book on prayer, The Power of Prayer, by R.A. Torrey. I don’t know what it is about this book, but it inspires me and helps eliminate any doubt in my mind that God answers prayer. If you do not own this book, then buy it. Many times our prayers go unanswered because the problem lies with us and not with God.

I have been praying for revival and spiritual awakening for about 10 years now. God has not answered this prayer so does that mean that prayer doesn’t work or that there is something wrong with me? Not necessarily, because God has answered many of my prayers over the past 10 years. He has performed miracles in my life so I know that I have His attention and that He is listening to me. If God never answers any of your prayers, then you need to examine your life for sin, but if there are a few prayers that are unanswered then you need to wait on God. R.A. Torrey used to say that he would pray for revival until it came. Glorious revival did come in his lifetime. During the Welsh Revival of 1904 over 100,000 people were saved. Dr. Torrey led over 8000 people to the Lord in just 4 weeks in Australia. Please don’t give up on your prayers, because God could pour out His blessings tomorrow.

Here is a quote from R.A. Torrey

“When I first entered the ministry prayer was largely a matter of form. But the day came when I realized what real prayer meant, realized that prayer was having an audience with God, actually coming into the presence of God and asking for and getting things from Him. And the realization of that fact transformed my prayer life. Before that, prayer had been a mere duty, and sometimes a very irksome duty. but from that time on, prayer has been not merely a duty but a privilege, one of the most highly esteemed privileges of life. Before that the thought I had was, ‘How much time must I spend in prayer?’ The thought that now possesses me is, ‘How much time may I spend in prayer without neglecting the other privileges and duties of life.'” p. 78

I hope that you have a morning quiet time with the Lord. Why morning?  Because you need to start the day on the right track with the will of God fresh on your mind.

 

Torrey, R.A. The Power of Prayer. Whitaker House, 2000.