The Power of Prayer

When I finished my study on the book of Acts, I realized one thing…that even though the full title of the book of Acts is “The Acts of the Apostles”, it really is “The Acts of God”. In every historical event in the book of Acts, God was present in how he orchestrated circumstances to curate the early church. With each stroke of God’s orchestration, you will find that a prayer was tied to it.  

Acts 16:25-34, About midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the prisoners were listening to them, and suddenly there was a great earthquake, so that the foundations of the prison were shaken. And immediately all the doors were opened, and everyone's bonds were unfastened. When the jailer woke and saw that the prison doors were open, he drew his sword and was about to kill himself, supposing that the prisoners had escaped. But Paul cried with a loud voice, “Do not harm yourself, for we are all here.” And the jailer called for lights and rushed in, and trembling with fear he fell down before Paul and Silas. Then he brought them out and said, “Sirs, what must I do to be saved?” And they said, “Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved, you and your household.” And they spoke the word of the Lord to him and to all who were in his house. And he took them the same hour of the night and washed their wounds; and he was baptized at once, he and all his family. Then he brought them up into his house and set food before them. And he rejoiced along with his entire household that he had believed in God.

In verses 25-27, Paul and Silas worshipped and prayed to God despite their imprisonment…despite their circumstances. In their prayer and in their worship, they were set free by an earthquake God ordained to take place in perfect timing. You see, prayer is powerful. Prayer is earthshaking. Prayers are a way for us to plead to God to intervene in our lives, to show up in ways we could have never imagined. When God answers our prayers, it is and will always for our good and his glory. Notice that when Paul and Silas were sent to prison, God was given glory because through their imprisonment, the Jailer of the prison became saved, as well as his entire household.

It was good for Paul and Silas to go to prison so they can witness God’s power. It was good for Paul and Silas to be in prison so that one specific man, the Jailer, could hear the Gospel. It was good for Paul and Silas to be let out of prison so this Jailer could see the wondrous work of God. And ultimately, it was for God’s glory that he would be made known to the region through the Jailer and his household. Can you just imagine the evangelism that took place after him and his household became saved? I imagine it as the Samaritan women who boldly proclaimed Jesus to her village after finding out Jesus was the Messiah (John 4:39). Through a seemingly dark situation, light came to those who were blinded by darkness.

When we pray to God, specifically and boldly for something, we must understand what we are asking for and must be willing to accept how God will respond to us. There will be prayers that go unanswered, but that is because God has a good reason for it. We mustn't forget that even in our human eyes, unanswered prayers are answered prayers because God has something greater planned. While we see 1-2 puzzle pieces moving, God sees tens and thousands of puzzle pieces moving together for your good. We must trust and believe that the God who created the Heavens and the Earth is creating in us a renewing heart, mind, and building a life for us that is far greater than we can imagine.

So how about when God does answer our prayers? We must be willing to take on how He is going to answer that prayer, no matter what it looks like. When Paul prayed to God to be used to build up the believers in several NT books like Ephesians 6:19-20, “Pray also for me, that whenever I speak, words may be given me so that I will fearlessly make known the mystery of the Gospel, for which I am an ambassador in chains. Pray that I may declare it fearless, as you should.”, I doubt Paul had in mind the flogging, the beating, and the imprisonment. We must be ready to lead our life in obedience to God’s answering of our prayers.

In Acts 19, when Paul was making his missionary trip round through the region of Corinth, he wrote the book of Romans and prayed to go see the people in Rome so they could hear the good news. In addition, mentioned many times in Acts, Paul had a desire to go to Rome. Years later, Paul did indeed go to Rome, and he did spread the Gospel in Rome, but never in a practical way was he able to do this like his other missionary trips—traveling safely with his ministry partners. Instead, God orchestrated for Paul to go to Rome through his imprisonment starting in Acts 26 where he was sent to Rome to appeal to Caesar. He had to overcome the challenges of facing different Roman leaders, a shipwreck, and being stranded on an island with indigenous (Malta) people until finally arriving in Rome. Even in the details of how God honored Paul’s prayer, Glory was given to God because an entire tribe of indigenous people came to know the Lord. Til’ this day, the people of Malta have a rich Christian history where the primarily religion is Catholic or Christian. 

I reflect on my life and see how many red seas have been split, how many miracles have taken place, and how God has (and many times did not) intervene for my greater good through prayers. I encourage you to think of the many times God intervened (or didn’t) in your life; you will find it tracing back to a prayer you have made or someone else made on your behalf—I can assure you that it was not by coincidence, but through the genealogy of prayers said for you.

I often recall a powerful quote from the book, The Circle Maker, “Bold prayers honor God, and God honors bold prayers. God isn’t offended by your biggest dreams or boldest prayers. He is offended by anything less. If your prayers aren’t impossible to you, they are insulting to God…God does not answer vague prayers. The more specific your prayers are, the more glory God receives.”

The point is this, our prayers will not have the kind of journey or answers that we plan for. So, in our lives, I push us all, though we may not know what God’s unique answers are for our prayers, to pray boldly knowing that it will always turnout for our good and His glory! 

CY