The Most Powerful P in the Bible

“Would anyone like to close us in prayer?” I turned my eyes downward like many of the others in the circle. At one time I was uncomfortable with praying, especially in front of other people. But after one whopper of a trial that sent me prostrate to the ground, I learned how to pray the hard way.

During that stretch, almost ten years ago, I also witnessed the immense power of prayer. I saw situations change, hearts turn and my own walk with God strengthened. It is through a life crisis that God taught me how powerful prayer is. He showed me how important it is to pray continuously for family, friends and myself.

So would you like to know why prayer is the most powerful P? Here’s what I learned:

1. Prayer should be our first resort not our last.

We seek advice from others.

We try to fix a situation ourselves.

We boil in frustration.

Then when all else fails we turn to prayer.

During a life crisis, there is no better way to resolve it than to pray. James says, “Is anyone among you in trouble? Let them pray.” “Is anyone among you sick? Let them call the elders of the church to pray over them and anoint them with oil in the name of the Lord. And the prayer offered in faith will make the sick person well; the Lord will raise them up.” James adds, “The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective” (James 5:13-16).

Prayer is powerful. I always sign my books with a Scripture and prayed to God for which one to use in my new book, The Most Powerful P. He gave me Ephesians 3:20-21. “Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus through all generations, for ever and ever!” We cannot fathom how powerful our prayers are. Why wouldn’t we lay our requests at his feet immediately and trust that God has a AAA rating and can get the job done better than anyone else?

2. Prayer is communication with God.

One of my favorite things to do is walk in my neighborhood and spend time chatting with God. I lift up the day, I lift up people in my life and I ask for help with my problems. I also spend time in silence so that I might discern what God is saying to me. The Psalms continuously talk about prayer as a way of reaching our Almighty God. “Hear my cry, O God; listen to my prayer. From the ends of the earth I call to you, I call as my heart grows faint; lead me to the rock that is higher than I” (Psalm 61:1-2). Psalm 141:1-2 says, “I call to you, LORD, come quickly to me; hear me when I call to you. May my prayer be set before you like incense; may the lifting up of my hands be like the evening sacrifice.” Our prayers are a pleasing aroma to God but it shouldn’t take a crisis to light the incense. We should be in prayer daily in order to stay in touch with our Father in Heaven.

3. Prayer is the most effective way to fight life’s battles.

After Paul described the armor of God in Ephesians 6:18, he said, “and pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the Lord’s people.” Paul did not include prayer as a separate weapon of warfare. According to the Women’s Study Bible, “Prayer is to be constant as the Christian prepares for battle, engages in it and rests from it.”

What battle are you facing? There is no scenario the Bible does not cover.

Hannah prayed desperately for a child and received Samuel who was a mighty prophet and judge of God.

Elijah prayed that the false prophets of Baal would know the one true God and God provided a powerful light show that burned up a sacrifice before them.

Even though he was in chains, Paul could rejoice. He said, “Do not be anxious about anything, but in ever situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus” (Ephesians 4:6-7).

Prayer gives us peace.

Prayer cures anxiety.

Prayer is a way to plead for those who don’t know Christ.

Prayer can transform impossible to possible.

And that is why I want to teach children about prayer through my new book The Most Powerful P, illustrated by Kate Green. I’ve learned the hard way that prayer needs to be a priority not a last resort. I want to equip children so they will not have to find out this truth later in their adult lives. They can utilize the power of prayer now and it will be life changing.

If you have a child in your life you would like to share The Most Powerful P with, here’s the Amazon link: http://www.amazon.com/Most-Powerful-Childs-Introduction-Prayer/dp/1514673053/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1439296668&sr=8-1&keywords=The+Most+Powerful+P

How important is prayer to you? If you don’t know it already, I hope you will discover that prayer is the most powerful P!