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Pastor's Piece

The Prayer of Faith

by Dr Barry Wright

 
The Apostle James tells us that '…The earnest prayer of a righteous man has great power and wonderful results.' (James 5: 16.)

He tells us that answered prayer does not depend on talent, rank, wealth or office, but on the character and faith of the person who prays.

We know that God is ever ready to hear the sincere prayer of the least of His children and yet there seems to be a real reluctance to make known our wants to God.

So, if God wants to bestow upon us all the fullness of His blessings, why is it that we pray so little? God's infinite love is ready to give us more than we could ask or think, and yet we have so little faith.

There is a well-known hymn that expresses our need to communicate with the Lord and I would like to share the words with you.

What a friend we have in Jesus,
All our sins and griefs to bear!
What a privilege to carry
Everything to God in prayer!
O what peace we often forfeit,
O what needless pain we bear,
All because we do not carry
Everything to God in prayer.

Have we trials and temptations?
Is there trouble anywhere?
We should never be discouraged,
Take it to the Lord in prayer.
Can we find a friend so faithful?
Who will all our sorrows share?
Jesus knows our every weakness;
Take it to the Lord in prayer.

Are we weak and heavy laden?
Cumbered with a load of care?
Precious Saviour, still our refuge,
Take it to the Lord in prayer;
Do thy friends despise, forsake thee?
Take it to the Lord in prayer;
In His arms He'll take and shield thee;
Thou wilt find a solace there. H. Bonar

These words would suggest to us that the prayer of faith has no effective substitute in this life and is seen to be irreplaceable.

However, the real problem for the Church at this time is not so much that prayer is not effectual, but we are not making the use of it that God intends.

We could even go further and suggest that it would seem that the tragedy of our day is not unanswered prayer, but unoffered prayer.

We need to ask God today to give us the mind to pray, the will to pray and the desire to pray so that our prayers may be the force that not only changes things in our world, but also in the world of others.

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