The effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much." (James 5:16)
How valuable is prayer to you? To me prayer is not like a lamp with a genie inside, who will grant three wonderful wishes. Prayer is communication with the God of the universe, who knows our every move.
We pray before meals, we pray before retiring at bedtime, but when has prayer become a constant event in our lives? The Apostle Paul tells us to "Pray without ceasing" (1 Thessalonians 5:17)
With all the trouble that surrounds us, and the trouble that we are dealing with in our personal lives, it is a great comfort to have this line of communication available to us to the "throne of grace" (Hebrews 4:16)
Blessings will come when we take seriously what has been emphasized over and over again: That Prayer, and being in God's Word, will truly help us to deal with the problems of this life.
When we confess our sins to one another, and pray for each other, it has a healing element that is faithful and true.
In this new year, let's make good use of our prayer time. May it not be the least thing that we can do, but may it be the most, and the best thing we can do. It will truly make a difference! GP
Young Business Man Praying Stock Photo Photo by podpad. Published on 07 November 2011 Stock photo - Image ID: 10063936