Step Thirty-Six: The Power of Prayer

Dear Readers, 

I am forever underestimating the power of prayer. I forget sometimes that prayer is anything but passive. Tonight God reminded me that prayer has power and then He blessed me by revealing that power.

Tonight was a worship night at church. Low key and understated. It truly was a night meant to connect and glorify the Lord. Somewhere between songs I took notice of my brother. He was laying on the floor, eyes open staring at the ceiling. Junior High and High School are tough, but when you look at my family's circumstances... well my brother he has it really tough. Lately he has grown more and more despondent. Watching my brother struggle with similar issues that I struggled with... I wanted to save him. I wanted to step between him and those struggles, to protect him. But this time, I could not. I could only sit back and bite my nails, hoping he would be okay. Watching him, I realized I had to let go, to step back. I had to move aside and entrust that God would take care of my little brother. I struggled with this idea. That is when one of my kind friends took note of me, she sat beside me and we talked. Her mantra was "all you can do is pray." She reminded me that prayer is not passive. It is the most powerful weapon in our arsenal. Together we prayed that my brother would have the desire to seek after the Lord, we prayed that the Lord would put a hedge of protection around him, that God would draw my brother in and show him the love he so desperately needs. We had no idea that God would be stirring in my brother's heart as well! Tonight my brother was saved!!!! He owned his faith and his flaws. His journey has only just begun, but it is beginning! 

It is human nature that we want to save those we love or fix what is going wrong. We get so caught up in physical action we forget to acknowledge two very important facts: 

1. We never had the ability to save or fix in the first place. If we did, we'd have no need for a Savior or a God. In fact, we were designed with the distinct inability to save so that we might fall on our knees, begging Him to come to us, to dwell within us. 
2. God does not hold out on us, or on our friends. Ever. I wrote this to my friend last night, I think it captures this point so perfectly:

   He does not hold out on us. He did not tell Eve she could not eat of the tree because He feared her becoming something great, He did not forbid her as a means of with-holding. He did it because He had better plans. He forbade her, not with the intention of making her miserable but with the idea of walking beside her in the Garden, flowers in bloom magnifying her beauty. His plan is for perfection. He is not holding out on you, He has held nothing back, but instead offered you everything He had. He created you, shaping you tenderly. When you were born he pursued you and protected you. Even as time after time after time, you slapped him, you walked away from him. He wooed you, He wrote you love letters, poetry – recording each moment within one of His most sacred offerings, His word. And when you betrayed Him and fell captive into enemy hands, He exchanged His own flesh and blood as a sacrifice so that you could once more sit at His side. He filled your heart and soul to the brim with His spirit, so that the two of you would never be apart again. He has offered you every aspect of His creation. The world is yours to enjoy, life is yours to enjoy. He has offered you direction and guidance, that you might not wonder into death's grasp. And now He is offering you His heart. Every tangible and intangible part of it. The part of it that tenderly grooms and clothes for each wild flower, the part of it that chases after you relentlessly, the part of it that adores orphans and widows, every part of it is yours.

   God loves us. He loves my brother more than I could ever even imagine loving someone. He shaped him, each muscle, tendon and nerve was carefully crafted. He has pursued my brother from before he was born. My desire to "save" my brother is child's play compared to the elaborate scheme the Lord has planned! 

Tonight I was reminded that prayer is powerful. It is a chance to speak to the Lord. We have authority in our prayers. No longer will I underestimate it.