Why pray? ...

I have had a killer headache for the past three days now. Nothing seems to be helping it, praying was my first wee port of call. And I'm still praying! As a secondary option I've been taking both paracetemol and ibrufen as often as I can! Nothing is touching it to lift it. So am going to write this and go to bed and try sleeping again. It's the kind where my eyes ache, behind my eyes ache, and my head just thumps and pounds with no let up. Don't know what it is, but would like it to disappear. Really had to pray for strength to stay happy and postive in work today - found it hard to be bright, cheery and chatty which is quite unusual for me.

Anyway, this was going to be a short blog before going to bed. Had the next 24-7 prayer meeting with Brian, Karen and Andy last night. Was so, so, so productive and all four of us came away so excited and ... I don't quite know how to describe it, I guess maybe expectant and wondering what God will do is the best I can come up with.

We discussed more solid plans for changing the grotto and creating the stations we feel it's right to have. Looking at our time line for it all to be done, we made some alterations and set new deadlines and tasks etc. And we just talked a lot about what we felt God was saying and where He was leading us with it.

After having gone to bed (still having killer headache) excited about prayer and feeling even more challenged about my own personal prayer walk, I awoke this morning and over my coffee read my Bible thing for this morning. The verse was:

"‘…WHEN A BELIEVING PERSON PRAYS, GREAT THINGS HAPPEN.’"
JAMES 5:16 (NCV)

This is what the wee noddy bit said:

'Why pray? Because nothing lies beyond the reach of prayer. You’ll never know how many people have made it through a tough day because you asked God to encourage them. Or how many are healed because you stood with them in faith. Or how many spiritual runaways have come home because you pleaded with God to get on their case. None of us will ever know the full effect of our prayers this side of heaven, but we know this: God’s kingdom on earth comes through people who pray. Through prayer we’re invited to chat with God; a two way chat that involves both talking and listening. Prayer is ‘talking with God about what we are doing together’ as author Dallas Willard puts it. Have you ever thought that actually, besides all the cool stuff that gets done through prayer, the greatest thing of all is the joining of our heart with God’s heart. Lots of people on their deathbed end up regretting their obsession with work, money, pleasure and power. But have you ever heard of anyone who regretted spending too much time in prayer?

An old minister once said, ‘Prayer does not consist of battering the walls of Heaven for personal benefit or the success of our plans. Rather, it’s the committing of ourselves to carrying out God’s purposes. It’s not bending God’s will to ours, but our will to His. In prayer we tap reservoirs of spiritual power whereby God can find fuller entrance into the hearts of men.’ Why pray? Because everybody knows, you start to become like the people you spend most time with.'


Yahey!!! I text Brian and Karen to share the verse with them as I was on my way to work. Immediately I had a phone call from Brian. He too was about to leave for work and was reading his Bible thing for that morning, which also focused on prayer. We were reading the same thing, but in different contexts. His was:

'...THE PRAYER OF THE RIGHTEOUS IS POWERFUL...'
JAMES 5:16

'Why pray? Because nothing lies beyond the reach of prayer, except that which lies outside the will of God. You'll never know how many people have been strengthened because you asked God to encourage them. Or healed because you stood with them in faith. Or how many spiritual runaways have come home because you prayed for their souls? None of us will ever know the true results of our prayers this side of heaven, but we know this: God's kingdom on earth is established by those who pray. Through prayer we are invited into a relationship with God - a relationship that involves both talking and listening. Prayer is 'talking with God about what we are doing together' as Dallas Willard puts it. In addition to all the other work that gets done through prayer, the greatest work of all is the knitting together of our hearts with the heart of God. Many a person on their deathbed has regretted their obsession with work, money, pleasure and power. But have you ever heard of anyone who regretted spending too much time in prayer? No. Where there is much prayer, there's much love.

G. Ashton Oldham says, 'Prayer does not consist in battering the walls of heaven for personal benefit or the success of our plans. Rather, it is the committing of ourselves to carrying out God's purposes. It is a telephone call to headquarters for orders. It's not bending God's will to ours, but our will to His. In prayer we tap reservoirs of spiritual power whereby God can find fuller entrance into the hearts of men.' Why pray? That's why!'


It all tied in so beautifully and was just such an encouragement and blessing from God today. Have had the verse going around in my head all day ... and will now hopefully have the same as I go to sleep. Who knows, God may even give me some dreams tonight, as thats what I've been praying for!!!