Prayer Opens Doors

Prayer Opens The Door To The Storehouse Of God’s Power “The effective prayer of a righteous man can accomplish much” (James 5:16 NASB).

Sam Storms in his book “Reaching God’s Ear” said, “Prayer in and of itself possesses no power. Prayer is powerful because God is powerful and prayer is the means through which that divine power is released and channeled into our lives”. In other words all the power in prayer is really God’s power activated by prayer and faith. When you pray for another person nothing flows from you to him — no vibes, no force, no energy. Instead your prayers go to heaven and the power of God moves from Him to the ones you’re praying for. When James says that “the prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective” (NIV), it means that God acts powerfully and effectively through the prayers of His people. Prayer is the instrument by which God has chose to have His power directed in the universe.

In his classic book, “Prayer”, Ole Hallesby says, “This power is so rich and mobile that all we have to do when we pray is to point to the persons or things to which we desire to have this power applied, and He, The Lord of this power, will direct the necessary power to the desired place at once.” What a surprising arrangement — God partnering with human beings to accomplish His purposes. R.A. Torrey captivated by the enormity of this power, states in “The Power of Prayer” that “Prayer is the key that unlocks all the storehouses of God’s infinite grace and power. All that God is, and all that God has, is at the disposal of prayer. Prayer can do anything that God can do, and as God can do anything, prayer is omnipotent.” That means that prayer can do what political action cannot, what education cannot, what military might cannot and what planning committees cannot. All of these are impotent by comparison. Prayer can move mountains, it can change human hearts. It can change families, neighborhoods, cities, and nations. It is the ultimate source of power, because it is the power of almighty God. This power is available to the humblest Christian. It was “a man just like us. He prayed earnestly that it would not rain” (James 5:17 NIV) and God stopped the rain in Israel for three and a half years.