The Power of Prayer

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Clarissa Yates
When I first became a Christian, I realised that there was a certain way of praying. Before then, I prayed about things only when I wanted it badly and couldn’t bear not having it. I prayed to ask God to change His mind about something, or I “begged” God to permit my requests. Such prayer and requests are selfish, as I now learn.

These kinds of self-wanting requests never puts God in perspective and doesn’t allow God to let His will be done. In these kinds of prayers I realised as well that it is one-sided, i.e. making God bend to my will and my demands. And when prayers like these goes unanswered, we start to plant the seeds of doubt and very soon, we stop believing in the power of prayer altogether and ultimately, stop believing in God Himself.

I have since learnt that praying to God involves a level of faith that allows me to ask God for something that I know is good and according to His will. It doesn’t involve making God bend to what I want or what I think I need. It is allowing me to come humbly before God and asking in His infinite wisdom to grant me what is in His will and is good.

Prayer reveals Trust

It means having to trust that God knows what is best for me and it involves committing to God in a whole-hearted fashion. I found this to be very challenging at first, but now I can do so with ease because ever since I learnt how to pray, my prayers have never gone unanswered.

As in James chapter 1 verse 5-6: “If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all liberally and without approach, and it will be given to him. But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for he who doubts is like a wave of the sea driven and tossed by the wind”.

To have faith in prayer, I found it to be crucial. We can’t ask God (and expect it to be answered) for anything if we don’t believe in the power of prayer that God gives.

In Matthew chapter 7 verse 7: “Ask and it will be given to you, seek and you will find, knock and it will be opened to you”. In Matthew chapter 21:22: “And whatever you ask in prayer, you will receive, if you have faith”. In John chapter 14 verses 13-14: “Whatever you ask in my name, this I will do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If you ask me anything in my name, I will do it”.

After learning how to pray, I proceeded to ask myself, “What should I be praying about?” and ‘Why should I learn to pray effectively to God”?

When I want something, I don’t go to my parents and demand for them to get me what I want. In fact, I speak to them humbly, discuss it with them, ask for their opinion and see if they think that what I am asking for is right for me.

As with God, I saw that praying to Him is like having a communicating relationship with Him and not just stating what I want. I come to God humbly, with thanksgiving and I pray that whatever I am asking for is in God’s plan for me. I ask God if what I want is right for me and I pray and ask for His blessings. And if it is not in His will to grant my request, I pray instead for strength and humility to accept His decision.

Recent prayer requests

Recently, the things I have been praying about involve a lot of waiting. I had to pray about my scholarship, which I waited for a year for. I had to pray for strength to go through a 9-month long distance relationship. I am praying for my Australian visa, which I have to wait for about three years for. I am also praying that my family members will be well which also takes time.

And yet through all this praying, I realised God is also teaching me another valuable lesson, which is to wait on the Lord and trust in His provision. Because sometimes God takes time to answer my prayers, it doesn’t mean He is not listening to my prayers. It means that I don’t lose hope or faith in God, and instead see this as an opportunity to rely and truly depend on God as my rock.

Like the Psalmist in Psalms, chapter 62 verse 1-2: “Truly, my soul silently waits for God, from Him comes my salvation. He alone is my rock and my salvation, He is my defence; I shall not be greatly moved”.

Prayer allows me to have a deep lasting connection with God, knowing that in the midst of all my daily struggles, praying to God gives me a sense of hope, peace and a sense of Fatherly love that keeps me humble and grounded.

When I pray to God this way, I experience the power of God because I can sense God’s assent to my seeking and realise that God is really reaching out for me all along. The power of prayer when we pray for others or for ourselves is real and palpable.

I can feel it in every square inch of my heart and I know I depend on prayer in my everyday life. Being able to come to God so openly and freely to pray is a gift. Our God is a personal God, and through prayer, we see who God really is and how God empowers us to get through anything. And that is something I am truly grateful for.

Clarissa Yates is from Singapore but moved to live in Perth, Western Australia in 2008. Clarissa married in 2012 and obtained an International Scholarship to do her Doctorate in Molecular Neurobiology at the Australian Neuro-Muscular Research Institute starting in 2013.

Clarissa Yates previous articles may be viewed at www.pressserviceinternational.org/clarissa-yates.html

The Power of Prayer