Prayer really works
I have been thinking a lot about prayer recently. My time at Moyallon Camp was bathed in prayer. We didn’t do anything without praying about it. There was thanksgiving for things that had happened and prayers of petition for what was coming up. We prayed at every meal time, we prayed before the speaker spoke, we prayed in small groups.
Moyallon Camp is like this every year but this year I was very struck by it. I thought about how much prayer was part of the apostle Paul’s ministry, such as in his letter to the Ephesians…
Ever since I first heard of your strong faith in the Lord Jesus and your love for Christians everywhere, I have never stopped thanking God for you. I pray for you constantly, asking God, the glorious Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, to give you spiritual wisdom and understanding, so that you might grow in your knowledge of God. I pray that your hearts will be flooded with light so that you can understand the wonderful future he has promised to those he called. I want you to realize what a rich and glorious inheritance he has given to his people. I pray that you will begin to understand the incredible greatness of his power for us who believe him. This is the same mighty power that raised Christ from the dead and seated him in the place of honor at God’s right hand in the heavenly realms. (Ephesians 1:15-20)
I was reminded of my need to pray for others but also my need to ask others to pray for me. We can feel connected to each other through God by prayer. I also resolved to tell people when I am praying for them as a way of encouraging them.
I have also felt God has been reminding me about the prayers he has answered in my life over the last couple of months. I must be thankful to God for these times and celebrate them as God being involved in my life. I am reminded particularly about my job situation. My temporary contract was to run out on 31st July and there was no job for me to take on at the airport. So, I prayed, the more I prayed the more I felt God was calling me to pray specifically for people at the airport who might be able to help. And, all of sudden one of those people offered me a new contract for another 6 months, a position that has pretty much been created for me and has increased pay and responsibility with it. I see it as a miracle of God, I know that it only happened because God wanted it to happen, there is no earthly reason for it to happen.
So, I continue to pray and pray more because I know God is listening and I know he answers and I know how connected to God and others we can feel through prayer.
