Power Of Prayer: The Simple Truth

John LeBoutillier | December 7 2004

Prayer is the single most powerful tool we have on Earth.

And yet so many people misunderstand it - or ignore it altogether.

Prayer is our ability to talk directly to God - and to listen to God tell us how to live our lives.

Those who ignore prayer - and God, too - are missing the best part of life.

Here is the simple truth: God created us all. But He didn’t stop there. He takes an interest in each and every one of us. He wants us to live a happy life - and a life of service to Him and thus to good causes and pursuits.

When He saw mankind veer way, way off the path He dispatched his only son to Earth to teach human beings the correct way to live.

Jesus Christ’s short life was full of amazing examples of sacrifice and sharing and goodness and forgiveness.

Jesus’ mission was to serve as a living, human example of the contrast between the ‘right’ way to live and the ‘wrong’ way.

Jesus had to suffer an agonizing death in order to demonstrate man’s cruelness - and God’s belief that serving others is noble and the suffering is a required ingredient to doing good things.

The Bible - the greatest book ever written - in today’s vernacular is a software manual on how to live a proper and productive life.

Replete with examples of bad behavior and subsequent ‘penalties’ for such behavior, the Bible attempts to show us the ‘right’ way to live.

Sticking to this analogy, prayer is ‘tech support.’ In trouble? Call ‘tech support’ by simply talking to God.

You do not have to go to church to pray; nor do you have to drop to your knees and clasp your hands together(although that is also fine if you choose that way to pray).

The key is this: asking God for help is exactly what we are supposed to do!

Do not feel guilty or selfish about asking God for help for yourself! If you don’t ask, who is going to ask in your behalf?

Prayer is meant to be your unique way to communicate with God - directly - not through anyone else - and to tell Him your problems and worries and to ask for help for yourself and for others.

And do you know something? In almost every case, God will answer your prayers. The solution may not be exactly what you at first envisioned, but as you look back over life and reflect on your worst days, you will see that turning to God in those instances almost always helped solve the problem.

Why is prayer so misunderstood?

Because there is not ‘right’ or ‘wrong’ way to do it and because it is Politically Incorrect to talk too much about it. In an era when Macy’s no longer calls its famous New York City Christmas Tree a ‘Christmas tree’ - they now call it a ‘Holiday tree’ - talking about prayer is just not as prevalent as it should be.

But we all need to realize something: without God we are nothing.

But with God we can do anything - anything at all.

Prayer is our way of having God help us, guide us, teach us, comfort us and assure us each and every day.

So do not be afraid to have your own private discussion with God. Feel free to ask Him questions and to lay out your worries.

But also do one other thing: listen to His reply which may come in an inner voice, or in your ‘conscience’ or in your inner ‘feeling.’ If it persists, then pay attention to it for He may be directing you.

Conversations - with God or anyone else - are two-way communications. So listening is sometimes even more important that talking.

Prayer is a gift. So cherish this power. And use it wisely.

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