The Power of Prayer

[SoulGrind]

To the believer (i.e.: to have exclusive faith in Jesus Christ) prayer is very real and very powerful.

To the non-believer, prayer is irrelevant.

However, I am here to attest that God DOES answer prayer!

Allow me to state my case...

As we all know, on Sunday, October 15th, 2006, around 7:07 AM, an earthquake measuring 6.3 on the Richter scale struck Hawaii 10 miles north-by-northwest of Kailua Kona, a town on the west coast of the "Big Island" (Hawaii).

By comparison, the California earthquake of April 18, 1906 ranks as one of the most significant earthquakes of all time resulting in hundreds of deaths and immense amounts of damage. It was felt for hundred of miles around.

I heard about the Hawaii earthquake on Sunday by way of another friend who works for a local newspaper. She gave me the specifics of the quake - location, magnitude, and distance that the quake was felt from originating the source. At that time, there was not much more to tell.

A good friend of mine, a girl I met in High School a little over 16 years ago is currently vacationing on the "Big Island" of Hawaii. Her and her boyfriend departed last week from San Francisco and I have not heard from her since.

With the news of the earthquake, my friend has been on my mind.

I started praying for her safety.

I asked members of Worthy Board to pray for both the state of Hawaii as well as my friend.

Last night on the 10-o'clock news, the latest update on the Hawaii earthquake is that there were no fatalities, no real damage, and very few injuries (if any).

Now I know non-believer's will say this is just coincidental, or something about the "natural way of things", blah blah blah.

However, as will all things related to "mother nature" - we never truly realize the outcome until AFTER "mother nature" is done throwing her temper tantrum.

The prayers were going out long before we had definitive results of the event.

Therefore, when we found out that the event passed and without calamity, this, in my mind, justifies the power of prayer and I know that my friend is safe from harm, for God has delivered her, as well as the rest of the inhabitants of Hawaii.

For those who do not believe - this probably doesn't amount to much more than religious "lip service."

But for those of us who do believe, it just confirms and solidifies the following statements found in the Christian Bible:

"And all things, whatsoever ye shall ask in prayer, believing, ye shall receive."

[Matthew 21:22 - KJV]

"And Jesus said unto them, Because of your unbelief: for verily I say unto you, If ye have faith as a grain of mustard seed, ye shall say unto this mountain, Remove hence to yonder place; and it shall remove; and nothing shall be impossible unto you."

[Matthew 17:20 - KJV]

"Again I say unto you, That if two of you shall agree on earth as touching any thing that they shall ask, it shall be done for them of my Father which is in heaven. For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them."

[Matthew 18:19-20 - KJV]

BUT BE WARNED!

"Ye ask, and receive not, because ye ask amiss, that ye may consume it upon your lusts."

[James 4:3 - KJV]

We need to ask with fear and trembling before God in full humility and purity of heart with good and righteous intentions. Anything less will not be answered as it is not the will of God.

That my friends, is the power of prayer!

Glory to God most High!

AMEN!

Edited October 17, 2006 by SoulGrind

[Floatingaxe]

Amen!

[mrp1948]

Amen my friend psalms says prayer gives us more power than angels and if it were not for prayer I would no longer be breathing

[SoulGrind]

Interjecting, a 6.3 earthquake is relatively minor. Most buildings can easily withstand it.

And this has to do with what?

Regardless, the largest recorded earthquake in the world was a magnitude 9.5 (Mw) in Chile on May 22, 1960.

Hawaii was a 6.3 in magnitude. That's only 3.2 lower than the largest ever recorded.

According to the USGS, the following are the earthquake magnitude classes:

Great: Magnitude is equal to or greater than 8.0

Major: Magnitude is between 7.0 and 7.0

Strong: Magnitude is between 6.0 and 6.9

Moderate: Magnitude is between 5.0 and 5.9

Light: Magnitude is between 4.0 and 4.9

Minor: Magnitude is between 3.0 and 3.9

Micro: Magnitude is anything less than 3.0

Therefore, Hawaii was in the top 3. That is still cause for concern.

My position stands.

Sources:

http://earthquake.usgs.gov/

[SoulGrind]

a 9.0 earthquake is 1000 times stronger than a 6.0. Not 1/3 stronger. The Richter Scale increases by 10 in intensity every time you go up a decimal. Hope that helps!

I was simply saying that it would make sense that there were few injuries in a 6.3 earthquake.

Fine. Multiples of 10. Got it.

I'm still thankful no one was hurt - regardless of the math involved.

[secondeve]

SoulGrind, while I'm very happy that your friend is safe and that the quake wasn't a bad one, I still can't see this as proof of anything.

People would have prayed to be spared by Hurricane Katrina, but they weren't. Christian families in the Middle East might pray that bombs don't hurt their friends or destroy their houses, but the bombs still fall. Parents pray over their child's sick pets, but the pets still die. The fact is that people pray for many things - most of them reasonable - but do not always get them.

When good things happen, people thank God for answering their prayers. But when bad things happen, they either have a crisis of faith, get angry at God, or assume that God did hear them, but that he had a specific plan in mind when he let that tragedy happen.

So, as I said. I'm happy your friend is safe, but to me, as to most other athiests, because so many prayers don't come true, it isn't a convincing argument.

[SoulGrind]

I just learned something very interesting this evening on the news - Federal Aid is being sent to Hawaii - latest news says the Big Island has actually suffered a LOT of damage - in fact the "Painted Church" (which I visited in 1991) was pretty much in shambles.

The interesting part - still no record ofa single fatality or injury!

Not only have we seen the power of prayer, we have also seen the power of the almighty protecting the inhabitants of the islands.

Glory to God!

Oh - and for those who criticize prayer by saying "I 'tried' it. It didn't work..." This about sums it up...

"...Ye ask, and receive not, because ye ask amiss, that ye may consume it upon your lusts."

[James 4:3 - KJV]

However, that might seem too... critical...

So let's put it another way... God answers prayer according to His will.

Anyway - regardless - I'm thankful.

Praise be to God.

[SoulGrind]

So let's put it another way... God answers prayer according to His will.

Fine. So, let's say I pray all the time, like, 5 times per day or so. If God doesn't exist, sometimes bad things happen and sometimes good things happen. If God does exist, sometimes He doesn't listen and bad things happen and sometimes He listens and good things happen. How do you distinguish?

If you do not believe, if you do not have GENUINE faith, then you are obviously not praying. Do not mock God my friend.

But genuine, heart felt prayers from believers who know that there is power in prayer through faith in Jesus Christ humble themselves before God.

No, God does not always answer prayer - at least not the way WE think He should. God answers prayer according to HIS will, not according to OUR will.

God is not a Genii in a lamp my friend - you don't just rub it and get three wishes (ixnay on wishing for more wishes).

Take a listen to a song by Garth Brooks called "Unanswered Prayers" and you will soon see what I am trying to say.

Here are the lyrics:

GARTH BROOKS LYRICS

"Unanswered Prayers"

Just the other night at a hometown football game

My wife and I ran into my old high school flame

And as I introduced them the past came back to me

And I couldn't help but think of the way things used to be

She was the one that I'd wanted for all times

And each night I'd spend prayin' that God would make her mine

And if he'd only grant me this wish I wished back then

I'd never ask for anything again

Sometimes I thank God for unanswered prayers

Remember when you're talkin' to the man upstairs

That just because he doesn't answer doesn't mean he don't care

Some of God's greatest gifts are unanswered prayers

She wasn't quite the angel that I remembered in my dreams

And I could tell that time had changed me

In her eyes too it seemed

We tried to talk about the old days

There wasn't much we could recall

I guess the Lord knows what he's doin' after all

And as she walked away and I looked at my wife

And then and there I thanked the good Lord

For the gifts in my life

Sometimes I thank God for unanswered prayers

Remember when you're talkin' to the man upstairs

That just because he may not answer doesn't mean he don't care

Some of God's greatest gifts are unanswered prayers

Some of God's greatest gifts are all too often unanswered...

Some of God's greatest gifts are unanswered prayers

I think that about sums it up...

Edited October 18, 2006 by SoulGrind

[learningtoserve]

I too have had instances where I know that it was prayer and God's answering of those prayers that solved the situation, not a coincidence

[terter]

good posts above on those who believe in pray. Afterall, the Word says, "pray without ceasing." Frankly, I'm glad the Lord hasn't answered some of my prayers such as when I prayed for twins. How STUPID was that!