How do YOU pray?

Do you pray like the overwhelmed, woebegone father in Mark 9 who said to Jesus, "...if You can do anything, have compassion on us and help us” ?

Or do you pray like the apostles in Acts 4, "grant to Your servants that with all boldness they may speak Your word, by stretching out Your hand to heal, and that signs and wonders may be done through the name of Your holy Servant Jesus"?

Ephesians 3:20-21 says "Now to Him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us,to Him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus to all generations, forever and ever. Amen."

In Ephesians 1:19, 20 Paul tells us that the power within those of us who are believers is "according to the working of His mighty power which He worked in Christ when He raised Him from the dead." In other words, the power that is within us is the SAME power of God that raised Jesus from the dead.

Friends, if this is the power within us, why do we so often pray, "IF You can do anything..."? Why do we pray half-believing, mealy mouthed prayers like this, when we can instead ask for boldness, signs and wonders?

Well, it's because we're human. Hezekiah led one of the greatest revivals in Israel's history, yet when the enemy king threatened him, he was shaking like a leaf. Gideon and his 300 men ended up routing 135,000 Midianites--but before that, he was hiding in a winepress and needed three proofs from God that He really was going to do what He said He would do through him. We're flesh, we're frail, we're fallen.

And God knows that. And Jesus loves to show Himself strong on behalf of those of us who say, "I believe, help my unbelief!" like the man in Mark 9. Jesus told him all things were possible for him who believes (even imperfectly, thank goodness), and healed his son. I've definitely been this man many times in my prayers, and God has been so gracious with me.

We're ordinary people who have the power of an extraordinary God within us: 
"The effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much. Elijah was a man with a nature like ours, and he prayed earnestly that it would not rain; and it did not rain on the land for three years and six months. And he prayed again, and the heaven gave rain, and the earth produced its fruit." James 5:16-18

See, it's not about who we are. It's about the power that works within us. God is able to do exceedingly, abundantly above all that we ask or think according to the power that works within us. So we pray...expecting that Someone far greater than us has the power to effect answers through our prayers. 

The result of praying Acts 4:29-30 kinds of prayers? Why, verse 31 of course:
"And when they had prayed, the place where they were assembled together was shaken; and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit, and they spoke the word of God with boldness."

And "...to Him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus to all generations, forever and ever. Amen."

So today, pray like you mean it and expect God to show up.