Prayer is POWERFUL

Recently I have been thinking a lot about the power of prayer. A few nights ago a woman I know from the feeding center came to the team house after leaving her abusive boyfriend. Hurt, drunk, and completely at the end of her rope she came to the team house looking for help. In tears she explained to me how much she loves him and how much she wants to be reconciled with the man that beats her. My heart ached from her. And what could I do? What could I offer her? My mind raced to all of the things I could try to do to help in some way. I had no place to let her sleep for the night, no food to give her, and fearing she would use money to buy alcohol, no money to give her. Not that any of those things really would have solved the problem. The only thing I had to offer her was prayer, and I felt so helpless.
That is the problem right there. If I had any of those other temporary band-aids to mask a much bigger problem I would have offered those first and then sealed it with a prayer. How backwards is that? I shouldn’t be feeling helpless when the only thing I have to offer someone is prayer, I should feel helpless, however, if the only thing I have to offer someone is a meal that will curb hunger for half a day, or a bed that will give someone one night’s sleep, or money that will be blown in a matter of seconds. Ultimately, while all helpful and good things, they can only provide temporary alleviation. Prayer, on the other hand, is lasting. It is powerful and surprising. It can heal matters of the body and of the spirit in ways we cannot imagine. Prayer is, by far, the most powerful tool I have in a situation like that.
What sometimes blows my mind here is that a lot of people ‘get’ all of that already, in the midst of their incredible physical needs. After my friend and I prayed that night she did not go away angry because I couldn’t do anything, but she thanked me for praying. What a humbling moment! Another woman, Derly, who always comes to the feeding center strung out and sleeping off the effects of the night before told me a little over a week ago that she was praying to be reconciled with her family once again and have a place to sleep with people who love and care for her surrounding her. After knowing her for even the small amount of time I have, I knew it would take a miracle for her mother to even let her walk back into her house, much less live there again. Again, there was nothing else to do but to pray in that situation. A few days later I see four foot five Derly sprinting through the park with the biggest smile I have ever seen on her face. Half laughing, half crying she tells me “Our prayers worked! Our prayers worked!” She is now living with her mother, next door to her sister and is a completely different person. She came to the feeding center yesterday with a stack of old pictures to show everyone and was practically dancing with excitement. If that is not a clear demonstration of the power of prayer, I don’t know what is.
We should be feeding those who are without a meal, clothing those without attire, providing beds to those sleeping on the streets and reaching out in tangible ways to meet people’s physical needs whenever possible. Jesus did that and so should we. However, we cannot forget what those are; they are temporary fixes. Our greatest tool that wields the most power is prayer. I had the privilege to witness the effects of Derly’s prayer but a lot of times we have to pray in faith without being able to see the incredible things GOD can do with that. However, the times you do get to see the fruit give encouragement for the times when you can’t. So, pray hard, pray a lot, and recognize the power that is in your prayers. GOD has blessed us with such a potent tool and I want to give it the credit it deserves. Speaking of that, thank all of you for your prayers. It is truly a blessing to me to have so many people praying and supporting me. GOD bless you all!

Becca