Jeremy Myers
Prayer is an important part of the Christian life and experience.
We are encouraged to pray for all things, at all times, with all kinds of prayers (Ephesians 6:18, Philippians 4:6, 1 Thessalonians 5:17). Our prayers are powerful. They have the potential to impact not only how we feel internally but our physical, lived experience. They have power and potential because the God to whom we pray is all-powerful, hears us and acts on our behalf.
In 1 John 5:14-15, we read, “This is the confidence we have in approaching God: That if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us. And if we know that he hears us — whatever we ask — we know that we have what we asked of him.”
God responds to our prayers in a variety of ways. Many times when we are praying, our hope is that God will move in dramatic and miraculous ways. We want to see God do what he did in the Bible. We want to see immediate healing with the touch of a hand. We want to experience an abundance of resources dropped from the heavens. We want the seas of our struggles to part as we walk through on the dry ground of God’s grace.
There are times when God intervenes in amazing and inexplicable ways. But more often than not, God’s means of answering prayers is more subtle, coming to us through the hands of his humble servants.
In his infinite power and wisdom, God chooses to use ordinary people like you and me as a means of his grace and goodness in the lives of others. Our simple acts of kindness and love have the potential to serve as the answer to the prayers of another. As the old hymn states, “God moves in mysterious ways.”
When my wife and I were in college, we did a lot of driving between our school in West Virginia and our family homes in northern Indiana. Our vehicle was less than reliable. It was a 1988 Mercury Cougar that we lovingly called The Ghetto Sled.
On one particular trip, as we were making our way back to school, the car suddenly began spewing steam out of the engine. We pulled into a local gas station, got out of the vehicle and watched as copious amounts of fluid poured out from under the car. We had neither the money nor the ability to fix whatever was wrong. The only prayer I could muster through frustrated tears was “God, please help.”
At that exact moment, a man in a beat-up old work truck pulled up and asked, “You need some help…” I’m not sure if he was asking a question or making a statement, but I nodded yes in agreement. He jumped out of his truck, glanced under the hood and before even telling me what was wrong, he got on a nearby payphone and began calling in favors with local friends.
Within a couple of hours, he obtained the needed parts and tools, did the repair and filled our gas tank before sending us on our way. I don’t remember that man’s name, but I can say with 100% certainty that he was an answer to my prayer that day. His actions were ordinary, but for my wife and I, he was a miraculous manifestation of the grace of God.
As I think back over my life, I can think of dozens of similar examples, moments when regular people stepped in to offer assistance as they were able and ended up serving as answers to prayer. In their hearts and minds, they were just being decent people offering a helping hand. But to the recipients of the aid, they were veritable angels providing responses to impassioned pleas to God almighty.
I’d like to offer two encouragements as I conclude this column. First, pray at all times about all things. The Lord hears your cries for help and is actively working on your behalf.
As you pray, however, don’t limit God to your expectations of how he can or should work in your life. Have an open heart and mind and trust that he will do more than you can ask or imagine, often in ways you wouldn’t imagine.
Second, understand that prayer is not just us talking to God but also listening for his leading in our lives. We are the body of Christ, the physical manifestation of his presence on this earth. When we are sensitive to his leading and joyfully step out to serve others in even simple ways, we have the potential to serve as answers to prayer.
Again, God moves in mysterious ways. Perhaps his miraculous movement might actually flow through you.
The Rev. Jeremy Myers is the lead pastor of First Baptist Church in Seymour. Read his blog at jeremysmyers.com. Send comments to [email protected].