Powerful and Effective...Two are Better than One...
I just came from our service for prayer and healing. It's such a powerful service, I'm so glad that Christ church continues with it, even though it has the smallest attendance. In this case, numbers definitely aren't everything.
One of the things we do at the service is pray individually with each person who wants prayer at the rail after communion. I mentioned the verse from James, "The prayer of the righteous is powerfully effective."
And on the way home I started to think about some of those powerful prayers that I've prayed with people over the past 12 years of ministry.
A woman whose heart was broken for her daughter who can't shake an addiction.
For a woman who just needs hope, when her body is being eaten up by cancer.
I prayed once for an older woman who said to me, "I just want life to be worth living."
For a young couple who both have mental and physical and financial challenges in their lives, but who love each other and want to get married...but they can't see how.
For a little baby who was only a few days old and had already had open heart surgery and her parents were called in to pull the plug...and she started to breathe on her own...and her little heart beat again and again...and she's about 18 months old now...
For a woman who beat cancer, but couldn't leave a husband who was beating her...
For a man who just wanted to be free from alcohol...
And the list goes on... Some of these I still pray for, some I give praise for what God has done. All of them have been moments of powerful prayer - because someone opened their life up into mine so that WE could go before the throne of God together. Powerful...and effective...
Ecclesiastes 4:
9 Two are better than one, because they have a good return for their work:
10 If one falls down, his friend can help him up.
But pity the man who falls and has no one to help him up!
11 Also, if two lie down together, they will keep warm.
But how can one keep warm alone?
12 Though one may be overpowered, two can defend themselves.
A cord of three strands is not quickly broken.
One of the things we do at the service is pray individually with each person who wants prayer at the rail after communion. I mentioned the verse from James, "The prayer of the righteous is powerfully effective."
And on the way home I started to think about some of those powerful prayers that I've prayed with people over the past 12 years of ministry.
A woman whose heart was broken for her daughter who can't shake an addiction.
For a woman who just needs hope, when her body is being eaten up by cancer.
I prayed once for an older woman who said to me, "I just want life to be worth living."
For a young couple who both have mental and physical and financial challenges in their lives, but who love each other and want to get married...but they can't see how.
For a little baby who was only a few days old and had already had open heart surgery and her parents were called in to pull the plug...and she started to breathe on her own...and her little heart beat again and again...and she's about 18 months old now...
For a woman who beat cancer, but couldn't leave a husband who was beating her...
For a man who just wanted to be free from alcohol...
And the list goes on... Some of these I still pray for, some I give praise for what God has done. All of them have been moments of powerful prayer - because someone opened their life up into mine so that WE could go before the throne of God together. Powerful...and effective...
Ecclesiastes 4:
9 Two are better than one, because they have a good return for their work:
10 If one falls down, his friend can help him up.
But pity the man who falls and has no one to help him up!
11 Also, if two lie down together, they will keep warm.
But how can one keep warm alone?
12 Though one may be overpowered, two can defend themselves.
A cord of three strands is not quickly broken.
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