The Bible with Nicky and Pippa Gumbel, Classic Version, 2015Sample

The Power of Prayer

On 27 May 1940, King George VI called for a national day of prayer following the realisation that the British troops in Northern France were at risk of ‘total annihilation’. Three extraordinary events occurred following that day of prayer. First, Hitler overruled his Generals and halted the advance of his troops (something that has never been fully explained). Second, a storm of unprecedented scale grounded the Luftwaffe that was poised to attack the evacuating troops. And third, despite the storm, a serene calm settled over the Channel days later which enabled a vast armada of boats to come and rescue the escaping men. Either this is an extraordinary set of coincidences, or this was the hand of God in response to a nation on its knees praying.

Prayer has the power to make a huge difference to our lives and the world around us.

Prayer is spiritual nutrition. Just as the body needs physical food, so the soul needs spiritual food. Prayer changes us. However, the Bible goes much further than this. Prayer is powerful. It is, as Charles Haddon Spurgeon put it, ‘the slender nerve that moves the muscles of omnipotence.’

In each of the passages for today we see something about the power of prayer to change us, but also to change other people, circumstances and even the course of history.   

Proverbs 15:21-30

1. Prayer changes circumstances

God ‘closely attends to the prayers of God-loyal people’ (v.29, MSG). Our prayers can make a difference to what happens. ‘The Lord is far from the wicked but he hears the prayer of the righteous’ (v.29). According to the writer of Proverbs, righteousness means keeping ‘a straight course’ (v.21), listening to advice (v.22) and maintaining purity in our thoughts (v.26). It means responding to people with ‘prayerful answers’ (v.28, MSG).

If we live like this we will bring blessing wherever we go: ‘The light in the eyes [of him whose heart is joyful] rejoices the hearts of others, and good news nourishes the bones’ (v.30, AMP).

None of us are righteous in ourselves (Romans 3:10). But the good news is that Jesus died and rose again so that we might have a ‘righteousness from God [that] comes through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe’ (Romans 3:22).

All who believe ‘are righteous’. Therefore, God hears your prayers. When we sin, we have a sense that God is far from us (Proverbs 15:29a). However, ‘if we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness’ (1 John 1:9). Then, once again, you can know that the Lord hears your prayers.

Lord, thank you so much that you do hear me when I pray. Thank you for the many times you have answered my prayers and the prayers of your people. Lord, today I pray …

Acts 16:16-40

2. Prayer changes people

What made the early church so powerful? Surely, part of the answer is the prayer lives of those first believers. We see in this passage:

• Pray regularly
  It appears from this passage that prayer was a regular habit. ‘Once when we were going to the place of prayer …’ (v.16). This suggests they did not only pray on their own, they frequently met together to pray.
• Pray in the name of Jesus
  Christian prayer is powerful because we pray, not in our own name, but in the name of Jesus.

Paul was followed around in the town of Philippi by a ‘psychic’, who was clearly under demonic influence as a result of her involvement in the occult (v.17). Finally, after several days of this, Paul could take her endless repetitions no longer. He turned around and said, ‘In the name of Jesus Christ I command you to come out of her!’ (v.18). At that moment the evil spirit came out.

The name of Jesus is so powerful. The only way to deal with demonic power is through the name of Jesus. No demon is a match for Jesus. Jesus sets us free from demonic forces. He utterly transformed this young woman’s life. The demon ‘was gone, just like that’ (v.18, MSG).

• Pray in all circumstances
  The woman was a slave who made a lot of money for the people who owned her. Her owners were furious that she had lost her supernatural powers. They seized Paul and Silas, ‘roughed them up’, ‘arrested them’ (vv.19–20, MSG) and hauled them off to court. They whipped up the crowd against them. The magistrates bowed to the pressure and ordered that they should be stripped, severely flogged and thrown into prison under heavy guard where they ‘clamped leg irons on them’ (v.24, MSG).

The prison officer would have been used to people coming into prison angry, cursing and swearing. By contrast, he sees Paul and Silas praying, worshipping and singing hymns to God (v.25). There is great power in this combination of prayer and worship.

An earthquake shook the prison and every door flew open. The prison officer in charge was about to commit suicide as he thought all his prisoners had escaped and he feared the consequences. Paul, faced with freedom, chose instead to stay, and bring his jailor to Christ.

When Paul assured him that all the prisoners were still there he asked, ‘What must I do to be saved?’ (v.30). This is what might be called ‘an evangelistic opportunity’! Paul explained what the prison officer had to do and thus he, and afterwards his whole family, believed in Jesus and were baptised.

Immediately, his life began to change. He shows compassion. He washes the wounds of Paul and Silas (v.33). He feeds them (v.34). He and his whole family are ‘filled with joy’ (v.35). He is willing to be known publicly as a Christian. They became founding members of the church at Philippi.

These events were so clearly supernatural that Paul saw the astonishing power of God behind the human agency of his words.

This episode ends with the judges having to apologise personally to Paul and Silas as they had not realised they were Roman citizens and it was, therefore, illegal to treat them in the way they had been treated. ‘The judges panicked ... apologised, personally escorted them from the jail ... Paul and Silas went straight to Lydia’s house, saw their friends again, encouraged them in the faith, and only then went on their way’ (vv.38–40, MSG).

Prayer has the power not just to change our own lives but also circumstances, events and the lives of others.

Lord, help us to be more like the early church. Help us to meet together regularly to pray. Thank you for the power of the name of Jesus. Lord, may prayer and worship undergird everything we do.

1 Kings 14:21-16:7

3. Prayer changes history

Of course, prayer does not change the past, but it can change the future course of events.

The history of the people of God as set out in the book of Kings is rather mixed. We read constantly of how the people of God ‘did evil in the eyes of the Lord’ (14:22; 15:26,34; 16:7). They committed sins (for example, 14:22b; 15:26,30,34; 16:2). They had shrine-prostitutes (14:24a); they engaged in detestable practices (v.24b); there was continual warfare between Israel and Judah (v.30; 15:6,32). The kings were often not ‘fully devoted to the Lord’ (v.3).

There were notable exceptions such as Asa (15:9–24). He ‘conducted himself well before God, reviving the ways of his ancestor David. He cleaned house’ (vv.11–12a, MSG).   

In the middle of all this, there is a fascinating comment: ‘Nevertheless, for David’s sake the Lord his God gave him a lamp in Jerusalem by raising up a son to succeed him and by making Jerusalem strong. For David had done what was right in the eyes of the Lord and had not failed to keep any of the Lord’s commands all the days of his life – except in the case of Uriah the Hittite’ (vv.4–6).

David was having an impact long after his death. God honoured his prayers for generations.

God had said to David, ‘Your house and your kingdom shall endure forever before me; your throne shall be established forever’ (2 Samuel 7:16). David had prayed, ‘And now, Lord God, keep forever the promise you have made concerning your servant and his house. Do as you promised, so that your name will be great forever. Then people will say, “The Lord Almighty is God over Israel!” And the house of your servant David will be established before you’ (2 Samuel 7:25–26).

The Lord heard David’s prayer. The impact of David’s prayer was to change the course of history. David had lived a righteous life (except in the case of Uriah the Hittite). However, the New Testament tells us that every person that believes in Jesus is in a better position than David was. Through Jesus’ death and resurrection you are righteous before God. God hears the prayers of the righteous. So because of Jesus, your prayers also can change the course of history.

Lord, I want to see our nation changed in the future. Lord, would you turn our city and our country back to you. Raise up, I pray, those who are fully devoted to you. I pray that you will raise up leaders and politicians who get rid of evil and bring peace and justice to our world.

Pippa Adds

Solomon may have been the wisest man in the whole world but it seems that he did not do a good job in parenting. He should have applied the proverb that he may well have written, ‘Train children in the way they should go, and when they are old they will not turn from it’ (Proverbs 22:6).

Notes:

Unless otherwise stated, Scripture quotations taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version Anglicised, Copyright © 1979, 1984, 2011 Biblica, formerly International Bible Society. Used by permission of Hodder & Stoughton Publishers, an Hachette UK company. All rights reserved. ‘NIV’ is a registered trademark of Biblica. UK trademark number 1448790.

Scripture quotations marked (AMP) taken from the Amplified® Bible, Copyright © 1954, 1958, 1962, 1964, 1965, 1987 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. (www.Lockman.org)

Scripture marked (MSG) taken from The Message. Copyright © 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 2000, 2001, 2002. Used by permission of NavPress Publishing Group.