The Power That's Found In Prayer
67
Philippians 1: 3-6
In the New Testament is the book of Philippians. The theme of the book is "encouragement". It was most likely written from Rome in AD 62 while Paul was in prison. Paul wanted the Philippian Christians to know that Christian growth comes primarily through the patient practice of love and service versus mystical insights. Paul's first order of the day was to bring encouragement to the Philippians through prayer.
God hears our prayers and there is power in prayer. God is our ability to have effective prayer. Sometimes people search after gifts ~ speaking in tongues, etc ~ instead of waiting patiently for the pathway of prayer. Paul and Silas were thrown into jail. Through them, the jailer was saved. Joy is gladness of heart and that's what motivated Paul. Joy is connected to grace.
- Prayer is open to every Christian.
- Prayer is a path to encouragement.
- Prayer is critical for Christian growth.
- God wants us to know why we pray.
God Is Motivating Us To Pray
Philippians 1:3 ~4 "I thank my God every time I remember you." v.4 ~ "In all my prayers for all of you, I always pray with joy."
- Paul was very thankful for all of the Philippian Christians.
- Paul also prayed for them with joy.
Here are some points to think about:
- Please let your feelings of thanks for others become a motive to pray for them.
- Please respond to the joy of the Lord and pray with an even greater confidence.
God Wants Us To Have Partners To Pray
Philippians 1:6 ~ "Being confident of this, that He who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus."
Paul recognized his partnership with the Philippian Christians.
Philippians 1:5 ~ "Because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now."
Paul had a deep affection for them.
Philippians 1:7-8 ~ "It is right for me to feel this way about all of you, since I have you in my heart; for whether I am in chains or defending and confirming the gospel, all of you share in God's grace with me." v.8~ "God can testify how I long for all of you with the affection of Christ Jesus."
Our partnership begins with God. He wants us to partner with Him in prayer. Partnership is a powerful thing. Paul deeply cared for and prayed for them in Phillipi and Rome where he was a prisoner in both places.
We don't turn on others when things go sour. We partner with them and pray ~ a prayer partner. We all need a prayer partner. Husbands and wives need to pray together. Are all of you on cloud 9 all of the time? No way! Sometimes we are up and sometimes we are down. When we are down, we have someone to life us up and visa versa.
Some points to think about:
- You have heard it said, "The family that prays together stays together."
- The church is, also, your family.
- Would you be willing to have a prayer partner?
God Wants Us To Know What To Pray
Philippians 1:9a ~ "And this is my prayer."
Paul prayed that they would grow in love.
Philippians 1:9b ~ "That your love may abound more and more in knowledge and depth in insight."
Paul prayed that they would discern what is best and have wise actions. He also was praying that they were on fire for God. The difference between a red hot church and a lukewarm church is... God. The red hot church is measured by love. The lukewarm church is measured by no love.
Paul prayed that they would discern what is best and have wise actions.
Philippians 1:10~ "So that you may be able to discern what is best and may be pure and blameless until the day of Christ."
Paul prayed that they would increasingly become like Christ.
- That they would have a red hot love that burns within them for God and the things of God.
- For them to have discernment.
- To strive to be more like Jesus.
Points to think about:
- Through prayer we see God help others gain insight and knowledge that can come in no other way.
- Through prayer we see God help others make wise decisions and know what God wants them to do.
- Through prayer we see God help others discover what Jesus wants them to do.
- Pray that God helps you to love.
- Pray that God helps you to have discernment.
- Pray that God helps you in making decisions in life.
- Pray that God helps you to be more like Jesus.
Is it possible we are living below the appropriation what God wants to give us because we don't pray? Yes. Do you have a prayer partner? You need to get one. There is so much power in prayer. Please learn to pray spontaneously throughout the day. Whether you are doing laundry, washing dishes, walking, enjoying a sunrise/sunset... the list just goes on and on. Take the time to pray. You will be glad you did! God answers prayer!
vote upvote downshareprintflag
- Useful (4)
- Funny
- Awesome (3)
- Beautiful (5)
- Interesting (2)
CommentsLoading...
Thank you for this important reminder. So often people see "I'll pray for you" as a cop-out of more "substantial" assistance, and maybe people do use it that way--but it SHOULD be the greatest, most effective help we can offer. If we actually do it!! The idea that we can communicate directly with God is astounding; the fact that He always hears and always answers (even if not in the way/time we want) is outrageous. Thanks be to our outrageous God!
Pray is the catylist between God and Man, allowing man to express his needs, even though God already knows what we need. It permits us to affirm and acknowledge God in our life and our dependency upon Him.
Thank you for your faithfulness and this hub.
Hi Binaya.Ghimire thanks for stopping by and commenting. It's always a pleasure to read. I'm glad to hear it inspires you! Prayer is an important part. My hope is that more people will see that and put it into practice. If they try it, they will see what God will do in their life. They will be amazed.
Have a great day and God bless! :-)
Hi SJmorningsun25 thank you for commenting and you are welcome. The greatest gift you can give anyone is prayer. Do you have a question? God has the answer. I've seen the "I'll pray for you" many times. Perhaps the situation is more than the person can handle so they say, "I'll pray for you". They don't know how to react to it so they get out of it by saying that. The best option would be to pray for them right there and then. Are we too busy in life to be able to stop for a few minutes to help out someone by praying for them?
It amazes me knowing I have direct access to God, anytime, anywhere. He always hears our prayers. The answers that come our way sometimes aren't the way we wanted it to turn out. I've had that happen to me many times. But in the end, when I look back at the situation, I'm glad it didn't turn out the way I wanted it to. God knows what's best for us. I'm so glad I have Him to talk to! He is amazing!
Have a great day and God bless! :-)
Hi Dave Mathews thanks for commenting! Very well said my friend. Our dependency is in Him. Even though He knows what we need in life, He loves when we talk to Him.
Prayer is the key to unlocking the doors in our lives.
Have a great day and God bless! :-)
Hi Ty Gillis thanks for stopping by and your kind words they are appreciated! You are welcome. All thanks goes to God. Without Him, I wouldn't be writing this.
Have a great day and God bless! :-)
Excellent hub...and I could not imagine where my life would be without the power of prayer...God has blessed us with this ability to be able to go to Him....I particularly like this that you wrote...."Please respond to the joy of the Lord and pray with an even greater confidence."...it is all good. Up and awesome!
Chris
Hi CMerritt thank you for your wonderful comment! I wouldn't even want to imagine where I would be in life without prayer, let alone not even having God. We sure have been blessed being able to talk to God. The creator of the whole universe... and He's interested in me. Simply amazing!! I'm so glad that you enjoy it. Please do respond to the joy of the Lord and pray with an even greater confidence. May we all do that.
Thanks for all of the votes they are appreciated! Have a great day and God bless! :-)
Field-of-Flowers, Wonderful! Nice hub with great points! Much to ponder here! Prayer is how we communicate with the LORD! It is absolutely essential! I cannot imagine life without HIM or prayer!!! Yes! There truly is Power in Prayer!
Thank you for sharing, Peace & Blessings! God Bless YOU!
Hi DeBorrah K. Ogans thanks for your wonderful comments they are appreciated! I'm so glad that you enjoy it! Yes, there's much to think about here. Prayer is a necessity in life. When you have a best friend, you want to spend time with them and talk to them. May God be the best friend you have ever had. Spend time with Him in prayer and watch and see what He will do in and through you.
Yes!! There truly is power in prayer!! You are very welcome it's my joy to write.
Have a great day and may God bless you too! :-)
Hi Field-Of-Flowers! What a beautiful hub full of Truth! I thank God that others pray for me; and I thank God I alone or with a partner in Christ can come before His throne to pray for others. Prayer is POWER and the POWER of prayer is LOVE and none other. Hallelujah. Thank you and may God continue to shine His Truth through you.
Hi Judah's Daughter thanks for your encouraging words! Whether it's with others or alone, I'm so thankful I have the opportunity and the honor to talk to God. There's so much power in prayer. I hope more people will discover it.
Have a great day and God bless you! :-)
Inspirational article and overview Philippians and the topic of prayer.
I so agree that prayer is about partnering with God. This revelation is inspiring to me in prayer in that rather than feel like I'm begging God for something I am actually participating in His will being enacted on the earth. A much more motivational reason to do so.
It is interesting that I read this today. Just this morn I had two friends call to partner in prayer. I love having a couple of good friends to pray with. What a blessing.
Enjoyed your motivational article.
Hi Tamarajo thank you for reading it and your great comments they are much appreciated! I'm so glad to hear that it has inspired you! That is one of my goals... to inspire others.
It is no accident that you read this today. I'm so glad God directed you here. It's nice to know it's a blessing and a motivation.
Prayer is the key that unlocks the doors in our lives.
Have a great day and God bless! :-)
I absolutely can confirm that god answers prayers....he answered some of mine today.
Thank you for a beautiful hub that encourages us to pray more.
Hi Cathy thanks so much for your wonderful comments! I'm so glad to hear that He answered some prayers for you today. He has answered more prayers for me than I can count...
You are very welcome. I'm glad to be able to encourage everyone to pray more.
Have a great day and God bless! :-)
Thanks for sharing this Field-Of-Flowers This is really a wonderful message. Yup prayer is very powerful, It's really wonderful to know that we could pray anytime and that it is comforting to know that our loving Heavenly Father hear and answer our prayers.
Hi joannruiz thank you for your wonderful comments. Prayer is our defense against the enemy. To be able to talk to the Maker of the entire universe... what a great privilege we have in doing that.
Have a great day and God bless! :-)
Great hub, great points to ponder about prayer. Thank you for sharing these timeless counsel about prayer. Blessings to you and regards.
You did a great job putting this Hub together. Your writing is interesting, relevant and spirit filled. Without prayer, we lose a connection with our Father. And Satan loves that and will take advantage. Then you ended with that gorgeous picture of that baby. Oh, my heart is filled with joy!
Hi cristina327 thank you for commenting it is much appreciated. It's nice knowing this is helping people in the area of prayer. You are more than welcome I'm glad to share it with everyone.
Have a great day and God bless you too! :-)
Hi Hyphenbird thank you for your heartfelt comments! My heart is filled with happiness knowing it has touched your life. I hope it touches many more. Prayer is essential. It should be a vital part of everyone's life. The power that is in prayer is so incredibly strong, even the demons shake and tremble when a person prays. I love having that kind of power available to me. I love the picture of the little girl too! Makes me smile!
Have a great and God bless! :-)
Thank you for this hub Field Of Flowers. It is great. Prayer is such a gift in my life. I have a saying from one of the leaders in my church that we should "Pray as if everything is up to God and work as if everything is up to us." I've tested that time and time again and it works. I'm also honored that you have chosen to follow me. Thank you!
Hi Katya Drake thanks for commenting and I'm glad you enjoy it! Prayer is a gift to everyone who will receive it to use it. I like the saying you have. I'll put it to memory.
You are welcome for the following, it is my pleasure!
Have a great day and God bless! :-)
Great Hub! Prayer is so awesome, not to mention vital to a healthy Christian life! It is easy to forego and forget the benefits of prayer in our busy culture, but anyone who takes the time to do so will see the benefits and blessings for sure.
Thanks for this hub, I feel it will reach many people's hearts.
Hi CraigDesmarais thank you for your encouraging words to me. I agree with all you have said. I too hope that this will touch the hearts of many and help people discover what prayer can do in their lives.
Have a great day and God bless! :-)
Binaya.Ghimire 9 months ago
Prayer is an important part of every religion on the earth. Thanks for this inspiring hub.