Powerful Prayers and Confidence

Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective. Elijah was a human being, even as we are. He prayed earnestly that it would not rain, and it did not rain on the land for three and a half years. (James 5:16-17)

If you want to be a powerful prayer, you need three things. Yesterday, we discussed how you need to pray with a connection to a burden. Today, we will add two more things to become powerful prayers.

If you want to be a powerful prayer, you need a confidence to hold. If you want confidence to know what God is going to do, it will only come out of extended time alone with Him. You can have peace in your heart about God’s plans when you spend time reading His Word. Talking to Him and listening to Him through prayer are absolutely essential.

There are times when God will give you confidence as you pray the very first time about a burden. He could speak to you immediately. He could also take His time. When we have spent extended time alone in the presence of the Father, we can confidently trust Him and His timing, regardless of how He chooses to answer our prayers.

Finally, if you want to be a powerful prayer, you need a call to follow. As you pray and spend time with the Lord, He will not give you this confidence and then just let you go. Sometimes, we misunderstand that intercession is just for us. In reality, God is planning to use the intercessor to take a step, to be part of the resolution of the burden.

That is what God did with Elijah. Remember, God rarely calls someone to pray without asking him to follow. Don't think that prayer is just an activity that you do and then you are finished. Most of the time, God calls intercessors into action. If we are asking God to do something in our lives, we need to be humble and bold. We must be willing to realize that we might be part of His answer to our prayers.