I like what one commentator said about God. He is the titleholder of the universe. And the exciting thing about prayer is that when we pray we can tap into God’s unlimited resources and His unlimited power.
As far as His unlimited resources go the psalmist tells us that: “For every beast of the forest is Mine, And the cattle on a thousand hills.” (Psalm 50:10). Not only does God own the cattle on a thousand hills, but He owns the thousand hills, the planet on which the thousand hills rests, and the universe in which our planet is part of. Thus, the entire universe is at His command to orchestrate in whatever manner He desires. And when it comes to God’s unlimited power we know that the entire universe was spoken into existence by his Word out of nothing – now that’s power!
So, when one asks what can prayer do the answer is simple – it can tap into God’s unlimited resources and unlimited power. And just what are some of the things that prayer can bring about is summarized well by Pastor David Jeremiah: “Prayer is the way you defeat the devil, reach the lost, restore a backslider, strengthen the saints, send missionaries out, cure the sick, accomplish the impossible, and know the will of God.”1 In addition, prayer is the way we talk to God – it’s our communication link to the sovereign ruler of the universe.
What can be more exciting than to know that prayer is our communication vehicle with a God that promises to supply us with his unlimited resources and power to help us in our walk with Him.
Let’s look a little closer at each of the areas that are mentioned in Pastor David Jeremiah’s quote above:
Prayer is the way you defeat the devil
In order to overcome the devil, you need the power of God in your life. While Satan was ultimately defeated at Calvary, he still has been allowed by God to be active in society. I believe when we pray for freedom from the devil’s devices that God creates a banner of protection over our lives. We no longer have to fear him and entertain his temptations as long as we stay under this powerful banner of protection.
Prayer is the way we reach the lost
Praying for the salvation of the lost should be something we spend a lot of time on. Since lost sinners on their own would never seek after God, prayer for their salvation can move the hand of the Holy Spirit to send down conviction for sin and open hardened hearts.
Prayer is the way to restore a backslider
Backsliders know the Lord but have allowed the devil to get the better of them. Just as the father of the prodigal son must have prayed for him coming back home, we need to storm heaven that the prodigal we are praying for comes back to the light of Jesus. Conviction of sin and seeing the pending doom they are heading toward, should be things our prayers evoke in the heart of the backslider.
Prayer is the way to strengthen the saints
As Christians we are all under the constant assault of the devil. One of the most important prayers is to pray that our brothers and sisters in the Lord stay close to Jesus in all situations. I believe that God delights to answer this prayer because first, it is selfless, and second, it strengthens the body of Christ to be more effective in serving the Lord.
Prayer is the way to send missionaries out
Missionaries need constant prayers as they go forth to the mission field and labor for Christ. We read in (Matthew 9:37-38): “Then He said to His disciples, ‘The harvest truly is plentiful, but the laborers are few. Therefore, pray the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into His harvest.’” Prayer for these missionaries is so important because everyone needs to know about Jesus!
Prayer is the way to cure the sick
We know that God uses doctors to help send healing our way when we are sick, but we need to pray for them that they would use their God given skills to treat the sick. In addition, there are times when we need a miracle of healing for ourselves and others, and only believing prayer can move the hand of God to intervene.
Prayer is the way to accomplish the impossible
When a situation calls for a miracle then prayer is often our only hope for the impossible to take place. The Scriptures are full of miracles following believing prayer and should provide us with the encouragement we need to pray for the impossible to happen. If God can create the universe out of nothing, He can certainly help us with our impossible situation; but believing prayer is the key to turning the impossible into reality.
Prayer is the way to know the will of God
Knowing God’s will for our lives is one of the prayers that God delights to answer and reveal to us. Another way to look at prayer is to view it as connecting our heart to God’s heart, and our will to His will. We read in (1 John 5:14-15): “Now this is the confidence that we have in Him, that if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us. And if we know that He hears us, whatever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we have asked of Him.” We can always take it to the bank that if we pray for God’s will in a given situation that He will reveal it to us. Our role is to then be obedient to His revealed will in our lives.
In closing it is important to understand that prayer works not because of anything special in us, but it all resides in the God who we are praying to. He has unlimited resources and power and praise God we have the privilege to tap into His amazing storehouse through prayer!
1 TOP 25 QUOTES BY DAVID JEREMIAH (of 243) | A-Z Quotes (azquotes.com)