The Potential of Prayer (1)

“Thus says the LORD who made it, the LORD who formed it to establish it (the LORD is His name): ‘Call to Me, and I will answer you, and show you great and mighty things, which you do not know.’”Jeremiah 33.2, 3

The privilege of prayer

We’ve all known people who tend to abuse their privileges. Give ‘em an inch, and they’ll take a mile. Grant them a little access, and they’re at your door every day. Let them attain some place of status, and they use it to bully the people they’re supposed to serve.

Abuse of privilege is not a good thing. Almost as bad is not using your privileges at all.

And this is where we find a great many Christians. As followers of Jesus Christ we are the recipients of many benefits and privileges. Of these, none is more amazing or more fraught with potential than the privilege of prayer. As we have seen, prayer enables us to penetrate the veil that separates time from eternity. It launches us into the very throne room of God and establishes us in His presence. It mobilizes the most amazing powers of the universe – indeed, even beyond the universe – to our assistance. Prayer has the potential to bring us before the face of God and into His glory, to transform the condition of our souls, and to affect the state of things on earth in surprising and even astonishing ways. Prayer brings us the mercy and grace we require in our times of need.

Prayer, in short, is the greatest privilege any Christian possesses.

And thus it is the greatest offense not to use this privilege any more than we do.

A simple test
Here’s a simple test to determine whether or not you are using the privilege of prayer as God intends. The Apostle Paul, echoing the Lord Jesus (Lk. 18.1), enjoins us to pray without ceasing, and to give thanks in every situation and everything (1 Thess. 5.17, 18; Phil. 4.6, 7). Apparently Paul believed that prayer is important for establishing and keeping us in the will of God, according to the purposes of His Kingdom and glory, down to even the smallest, most mundane details of our lives. Everything, every situation, and every moment require the focus, framework, and force that prayer provides, if those situations and moments are to be redeemed as God intends, for His glory and the benefit of our neighbors (1 Thess. 2.12; 1 Cor. 10.31).

So: On a scale of 1 to 10, where 10 is the highest rating you could give, how much of your day thus far has been actively and consistently engaged with God in prayer?

Whatever score you may have given yourself, it’s clear we are prosecuting a certain portion of our lives without the benefit of prayer. We are not using the privilege God has granted us in order to make the best use of our time for loving Him and our neighbors.

So no matter how high we might rate ourselves on this little test, there’s always room for improvement! And, if we say “no” to improving in this highest of Christian privileges, what are we saying to our Father in heaven? Or about our relationship with Him?

Our waiting God
God the Father promises that, when we pray – that is, when we pray according to the preconditions for prayer He has established – He will grant us audience and will answer us according to His riches in glory in Christ Jesus (2 Chron. 7.14; Jer. 33.3).

Pause for a moment to reflect on that. Those of us who are parents can barely manage to get our children to listen to us. The same is true with our employers or supervisors: they may listen politely to our complaints and concerns, but often it seems as if they aren’t really hearing. And what shall we say about our political representatives? Do they hear our concerns, or do they hear only what they want to hear?

But God the Father, the Creator and Sustainer of the universe, not only promises to hear our prayers but to answer them as well! He will show us mercy! He will give us the grace we need for every situation! Prayer is a special form of communication, like speaking in a code that ensures certain designated parties can hear. When we pray, God hears. As He hears, God processes our requests. The Son and Spirit join in to clarify our concerns and needs (Heb. 7.25; Rom. 8.27). Departed saints and mighty angels interrupt their glorious activities to aid in presenting our prayers before the throne of heaven (Rev. 5.8; 8.3). When we pray, it is as if the vast unseen landscape of eternal majesty and glory catches its breath and mobilizes to ensure that God the Father will hear our prayers. And if we know that He hears them, as we seek His mercy and grace, we can be sure that we have the requests we have made of Him (1 Jn. 5.15).

But can we really know this? Know that our prayers have been heard, and that God the Father of every living creature is readying a response to our prayers?

We can, indeed, when we ask according to what God promises with respect to prayer, and in line with the preconditions for prayer He has established. Praying according to God’s promises and preconditions unleashes the power and potential of this great and glorious privilege of prayer.

And if that doesn’t excite you to improve your prayers, then you need to consider whether this great prayer-hearing God is in fact your Father at all.

For reflection
1.  Why is prayer such a great privilege? Do you think most Christians recognize prayer as the privilege it is? Explain.

2.  What are some of the preconditions for having God hear and answer our prayers?

3.  How are you hoping to improve your use of the privilege of prayer?

Next steps – Transformation: What number did you give yourself on this little exercise? Why did you choose that number? What’s one thing right now that you would like to see different about your prayers? Share your answers to these questions with a prayer partner, and covenant together to read and discuss the articles in this series.

T. M. Moore
Each of our “next steps” exercises is tied into goals and disciplines involved in working your Personal Mission Field. If you have not yet identified your Personal Mission Field, watch the brief video showing you how to get started right away (click here). Learn how to work your Personal Mission Field by finding a friend and signing-up for our Mission Partners Outreach.

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Except as indicated, Scripture taken from the New King James Version. © Copyright 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.