Prayer. In my thoughts. I'll be thinking about you...Is there power in words lifted up to a "higher power"?
Yes. Yes! There is indeed power in prayer! Personally, I believe in praying in the name of Jesus Christ to God our Heavenly Father.
Look at the statistics...
Currently, "they" are saying it is taking an average of four months to find a new job. The Bureau of Labor Statistics reported on February 6th that 2.6 million people have been out of work for 27 weeks or longer. That is almost SEVEN months.
Agros unfortunately needed to lay off four employees - two at the end of December and two at the end of January. Many people - the Agros Board, Agros employees, family and friends - have prayed for these four people.
All four of these people have found jobs already!
One person had a job within a week. Another had a job within about three weeks. I was offered a job in less than four weeks. And the fourth person secured a job within six weeks.
That is an average of 3.5 weeks.
These four people found jobs 87% faster than nearly THREE million other people who have been out of work for 27 weeks.
OK, OK... I realize that prayers are probably being said for many of the others too. I absolutely trust these prayers are being heard. But I am quite unable to explain God's timing in regards to when and how prayers are answered.
All I am saying is that the favor these four people found in God's eyes should be acknowledged.
I usually read the NIV (New International Version) of the Bible. In this version, Philippians 4:6-7 reads "Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus".
The Message translates these verses like this - "Don't fret or worry. Instead of worrying, pray. Let petitions and praises shape your worries into prayers, letting God know your concerns. Before you know it, a sense of God's wholeness, everything coming together for good, will come and settle you down. It's wonderful what happens when Christ displaces worry at the center of your life."
"Instead of worrying, pray." Why would we be told to pray if it had no value?
Take a look around you. People are praying. In restaurants. In coffeehouses. On park benches. On the football field. Even where prayer has been banned, people are praying.
Is there power in prayer?
I say, "Yes, there is power in prayer. And in fact, when I pray, it is with GREAT expectation that my prayers are heard and answered...in God's way and in God's timing."
I searched the web and found studies done on the power of prayer. Some concluded prayer made a difference. Others concluded prayer did not make a difference.
Mark Twain popularized a saying by Benjamin Disraeli, "There are three kinds of lies - lies, damned lies, and statistics."
We can all find studies and reports to support whatever it is we want to believe.
But the words of the Bible, all inspired by God, say there is power in prayer.
I believe Him.
(pictures taken from FaceBook pages)
