Never Underestimate the Power of Prayer

So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand. – Isaiah 41:10 [NIV]

When I am afraid, I put my trust in you. – David in Psalm 56:3 [NIV]

There seems to be a lot of fear these days. Politically, socially, and especially medically. I’m not a doctor, neither do I understand virulent diseases. I can’t even begin to evaluate how much of the current COVID-19 issue is media and political fearmongering, and how much is absolute wisdom. The verses listed above seem to sum up what’s going on in the hearts of a lot of us. The Bible and Jesus clearly tell us not to fear in many situations where fear seems like a perfectly logical emotion. I’m thinking of Mark 4:35-41 when Jesus told the disciples to get in the boat and go to the other side of the lake. While they were in the middle of the lake a storm broke out and nearly sank the boat. That seems like a completely appropriate time to be afraid and the disciples started freaking out, yet Jesus was sound asleep. When the disciples did wake Him up, He calmed the storm and then rebuked them for panicking. He was trying to teach the disciples to trust the Father in the middle of the storm.

We see another example in Scripture where things look really bad and Jesus urges us not to be afraid. In Luke, Chapter 21, Jesus tells the disciples how they will be persecuted, put on trial, and maybe even killed. He follows those words with something that seems completely contradictory. He tells the disciples to “hold steady”, and that not one hair on their head will perish. That’s a bit confusing on the surface, yet we know that we are living for eternity and Jesus is 100% honest and trust worthy. There is a deeper message there. No matter what happens to our bodies, if we hold on to Jesus no one can harm our eternal souls. And there’s even more… As a recovering abuse survivor, He’s taught me that no matter what someone did or does to my body against my will, my soul is surrounded by God’s presence. The abuse did have its emotional and physical effects, yet God’s power transforms and restores. Not only are we preserved for eternity, we are empowered to fulfill God’s purpose in the here and now. Hardships don’t block us from fulfilling God’s will for our lives, hardships embraced with Christ empower us to fulfill God’s will for our lives.

Never underestimate the power of prayer. This message has been driven home to me throughout the past few months. Next week my wife will be returning home after an extended time away helping her elderly mother navigate through some personal and business challenges. My wife and I have a wonderful relationship, and I’m eagerly awaiting her return. I miss her. Her two month absence brought up some challenges for both us and our kids, logistically and emotionally. Truth be told, it’s been a challenge and I haven’t always felt the grace to be at peace throughout the experience. It showed me the tremendous power of your prayers during my six month ministry in Thailand. Marianne was with me in the middle of my time there for two months, but I was also there for four months without her. Even during the most difficult times in Thailand when I was alone, we had much more grace to navigate through the challenges than we have had in the past two months without that prayer covering. Never underestimate the power of your prayers. First of all, thank you from the bottom of our hearts for the fantastic prayer covering during my time in Thailand. Your prayers have had a tremendous impact for eternity that none of us will fully realize until we’re in Heaven. Secondly, as we all navigate through the challenge of COVID-19 and the challenging social and political landscape, it is crucial that we spend time in God’s presence and open our hearts deeply to Him. It is only in God’s presence that we have the strength to “hold steady” and fear not. Time with the Lord will empower us to boldly fulfill the call of God in our lives. God will never fail us. Ever!

Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, 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. – Philippians 4:6-7 [NIV]

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