The Power of Prayer

   I went on a missions trip to Florida with the Lancaster Bible College Women’s Soccer team. We were on our way to the Edgewood Children’s Ranch. Along the way, we had a lot of inconveniences. First we got caught in a lot of traffic and did not make it to the place we were staying in NC until 11pm. Next, our credit card got stuck in a gas station machine. That was not good because that was all the money we had for the trip. I asked the girls to pray that we got it out and they kind of gave me looks of unbelief. I prayed and the card was finally removed.

   When we finally got to Florida, we were going to spend some time at the beach. Then as we were on our way, it started to rain. We waited out the rain by shopping. I told the girls we should pray that the rain go away. Again, I got the strange looks, but they tried it. The rain eventually stopped. We didn’t stay at the beach long. So, we tried it again the next day and it rained again as we headed down to the beach again. This time the girls prayed on their own.

   On our last day in Florida, we were going to a professional soccer game. As we were headed to the game, it rained again. That created a rain delay that went on for an hour. As time went on, one of the girls asked the other girls to get in a circle. Then she prayed that the rain would go away.

   It seems crazy that we would pray for something as simple as rain to stop but we did. Sometimes our prayers get an answer of yes, other times the answer is no. But we need to be willing to ask for those things.

   Mark 11:24 says: “Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours.” Many times, we try to solve problems on our own before taking our concerns to God. There was no way we were going to get that credit card removed from the gas machine without a miracle or someone taking the machine apart. After prayer, the card was able to be pulled out. It may not seem like a big deal, but it was a reminder to me and the girls on the trip that prayer is powerful. We just need to be willing to pray, ask, and believe.

   So, how is your prayer life? When you have a problem, what is the first thing you do? How can you grow in your relationship with God and have more trust in him?