Confidence In Prayer

Confidence in Prayer

You faithfully answer our prayers with awesome deeds, O God our savior. You are the hope of everyone on earth, even those who sail on distant seas. You formed the mountains by your power and armed yourself with mighty strength. Psalm 65:5-6

When we pray, we aren’t talking to a God who is uninvolved or unable to intervene, as our culture may suggest. No, we are talking to the all-powerful God who created the earth by the power of his word, whose wonders fill the earth, and who faithfully answers our prayers with awesome deeds. God chooses, often in response to our prayers, to release his mighty power on the earth, in our lives, and in the lives of those who desperately need his help. It’s like the huge generator one of the children in my prayer group drew to show what he had learned about prayer. We were preparing to pray for people whose homes and lives had been devastated by F5 tornadoes in our city.

“That’s God,” Grant said, pointing to the generator. “He’s got all this power.” Then he drew a long diagonal line from the generator to some stick figures representing a family. “That’s who needs help. All the moms and dads and kids who were hurt by the tornado. And the power flows along the cord as we pray!”

How right he is! When we bring others to the throne of grace by intercession, we connect them with the God who can help them. And whether we are young or old, realizing God’s awesome power changes the way we pray and the way we live. His power is available for every situation and need so that we can do everything through Christ, who strengthens us (see Philippians 4:13). This is a God we can trust to pray through us by his Spirit, even when the ones for whom we intercede are across the ocean (see Romans 8:26). This is the all-powerful God in whom we can have confidence when we pray. —CHERI

Father, we praise you for your power. We believe, but help our unbelief, and fill us with fresh faith through the power of your Word. Enlarge our circle of prayer so that we pray not just for our needs and our own families but also for those who are hurting, oppressed, and lost around us. O God our Savior, you faithfully answer our prayers with awesome deeds. You are our hope and the hope of everyone on the earth!

An intercessor means one who is in such vital contact with God and with his fellowmen that she is like a live wire closing the gap between the saving power of God and the sinful men who have been cut off from that power.

—HANNAH HURNARD (1905–1990), MISSIONARY AND AUTHOR