The Power of Prayer and Words of Encouragement from the Bible

This post is dedicated to all who need a word of encouragement, free and abundantly found in the word of God or the Bible.

THE POWER OF PRAYER 

Matthew 18:3 

And he said: “Amen I say to you, unless you change and become like little children, you shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven...."

1)Prayer gives us an insight of God, helping us to know God.

By virtue of our original sin, spiritual darkness rule our hearts. Only God can bring us out of this spiritual darkness through dawn and eventually into daylight. 

It is through prayer that God slowly guide us out of this darkness. 

When do we know spiritual dawn has come ? It is when we recognize strangers as our brothers & sisters, when we can accept & embrace them in love, then we have reached dawn. 

Hence prayer transforms the vision of our hearts to love strangers, to walk in the light of Christ.

2)Prayer helps us to build a relationship with God.

This relationship further fosters our total trust and reliance on God, as our protector & providence, thereby giving true peace. 

True peace does not mean having no trials & sufferings in life. Jesus didn't promise a safe journey without crosses in life . Rather true peace means, God is always journeying together with us in the midst of all our sufferings & pains, giving us comfort, strength, refuge and grace to carry our crosses. Jesus promised to be with us till the end of time. 

Through prayer, our trust in God grows more deeply, transforming our hearts to love God more.

3)The greatest effect of prayer is that it transform our spiritual vision to focus on others instead of ourselves. 

We become more aware & concern about the needs of others by focusing our petitions for them. 

Thus prayer draws us away from our old selfish self. Our heart becomes more accommodative of others. 

We will be more eager to share with people the graces , miracles and good things God has done in our lives.  

Hence through prayer, God challenges us to testify to the world, glorifying him always.

This verse from 1 Corinthians 13:1-3 is ironic yet yields much truth. 

1 Corinthians 13:1-3

If I were to speak in the language of men, or of Angels, yet not have charity, I would be like a clanging bell or a crashing cymbal.

And if I have prophecy, and learn every mystery, and obtain all knowledge, and possess all faith, so that I could move mountains, yet not have charity, then I am nothing.

And if I distribute all my goods in order to feed the poor, and if I hand over my body to be burned, yet not have charity, it offers me nothing.

Source: Weiying Chan (Trinity Church)