By Mike Farmer
Director of missions for McMinn-Meigs Baptist Association, Athens
We talk a lot about prayer as Christians, but do we pray? I have to believe that we talk about it more than we do it. I am guilty of that at times. Why do I believe this to be true? Because I do not see the results of prayer.
Prayer is not an exercise in itself. It is something we do to affect the world around us. We intercede for God to work in other people’s lives. We pray for God to work in the world around us in a way only He can do. Sadly, I see only a few results of these kinds of prayer.
Think about some of these prayer results from the Bible:
• Nehemiah prayed for his homeland. Then he received permission to return and rebuild the wall of Jerusalem. The walls were rebuilt in 60 days. Something most would have considered impossible.
• Joshua prayed and the sun stood still. Can you imagine prayer that changes the universe. Joshua did.
Mike Farmer
• Jonah prayed from the belly of the fish and survived three days. God got his attention and he got right with God. He then went to Nineveh as God has commanded him and saw one of the greatest revivals in history.
• Elijah prayed and fire fell and consumed a sacrifice that had been soaked down with water. Those watching immediately fell down and acknowledged the Lord was God. He also prayed that it would not rain and it did not rain for three and a half years.
• Peter prayed and Tabitha came back to life after she died.
James 5 tells us the prayer of a righteous person has great power. We need praying people like this in our world today. May we become the righteous people with urgent prayers that will make a difference in the world around us.
It is easy to think of these people in the list above as spiritual giants from Scripture that were nothing like us. And, many of us would not dream of putting ourselves in a place of being like them. The reality is they were people just like us. May we set our bar for expectations higher than they are. May we pray for God to do something only He can do. B&R
