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God Delights to Answer Prayer

Prayer is the slender nerve that moves the muscle of omnipotence

One of the great wonders of the Christian life is the sobering fact that God listens and delights to answer our prayers. When we pray, we should never fall prey to the lie that our words are just being spoken into a vortex of silence and waste. Scripture reminds us of the power of prayer so that we will not grow faint in calling out to our God. In 1 John 5:14 we are told, “And this is the confidence that we have toward him, that if we ask anything according to his will he hears us.” In James 5:16, the brother of our Lord encourages us to pray by reminding us of Elijah, “The prayer of a righteous person has great power as it is working.” Wonder of wonders, that our God has ordained prayer as one of the primary means through which he accomplishes his purposes.

None of this means that we use prayer to bend God’s will towards ours. Nor do we view prayer as some cosmic vending machine. Rather, prayer allows us to participate in His gracious plan and purposes. Charles Spurgeon often said that “Prayer is the slender nerve that moves the muscle of omnipotence.” Spurgeon believed that prayers are like the tiny nerves that move the mighty hand of our God. What an encouraging thought! You do not need to be strong, powerful, or eloquent to pray for even the faintest, weakest cry of a saint is enough to signal divine action. Even in our weakness, God delights to hear our small and simple prayers and use them according to His purposes.

There is much power in prayer, and our God desires and expects us to pray. This Sunday evening at our monthly prayer and praise service, we have the opportunity as a church to use our “slender nerves” to pray for our church. As a church, we have been blessed with no shortage of ministry opportunities as we head into the fall season. From adult Bible studies, various youth and children's ministry events, counseling, discipleship, and evangelism efforts. I want to encourage you to bring the entire family and come prepared to beseech our good God, expecting and believing that He will indeed hear and answer our prayers. I hope to see you Sunday night!