As a minister, restful sleep on Saturday night is crucial. A couple of Saturday nights ago, my 5 month old son decided to have a restless night. This causes everyone else in the house to experience the same sleep pattern.
By 2:30 AM, Jonathan had awoken about 4 times. My wife and I traded off going into his room and comforting him back to sleep. At 2:30 AM, it was my turn. What resulted must have been a movement of the Spirit encouraging me, as this time rather than pick him up, I decided to pray.
My prayer was simple, but seemingly powerful as God answered the prayer and Jonathan slept through the rest of the night. When I woke up to get ready for church, I said another prayer - this time of praise and thanksgiving that God answered my prayer.
The next night was similar as it turned out that Jonathan was sick. Again, by 2:30 AM, it was my turn and Jonathan had again woken up about 4 times. I tried the same prayer - after all, it worked the night before, right? I am nothing if not a pragmatist. God decided not to answer the prayer and Jonathan woke up several more times.
This incident reminded me of the power and mystery of prayer.
Prayer is not hocus pocus. There is not a set of words in prayer that will guarantee God's answer.
Paul in Romans 8:26-27 says, "the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groans that words cannot express. And he who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints in accordance with God's will." (NIV)
Some Christians are deluded into thinking that the power of prayer is in the words that we say - this is erroneous. The belief in the power of specific words is the definition of an incantation - " a written or recited formula of words designed to produce a particular effect." (from Webster).
Incantations are not Christian - they are magic - they are more in line with the world of Harry Potter than the Kingdom of God. Christians must recognize that prayers are not magic - but there is no denying that they are powerful.
1 Peter 3:12 says, "For the eyes of the Lord are on the righteous and his ears are attentive to their prayer." (NIV)
God listens to the prayers of his people. When God chooses to answer them - it reveals just how powerful they can be. The power is not in the words that I say, but inherent in the fact that God listens and when he chooses to, God acts.
What a joy and blessing that God listens to the prayers of his people.
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