The Power of Prayer
By Rick Ezell
"So I prayed to the God of heaven . . ." (Neh. 2:4 HCSB).
When asked to share his thoughts on the power of prayer, a retired missionary quickly recalled an event that took place several years earlier while he was piloting a small Piper Cub airplane. After flying for several hours toward his destination he saw a sight that filled him with dread. "Directly ahead of me was the boiling, swirling black fury of a summer storm. Below were the mountains. A landing was impossible. I had passed the point of no return and didn't have enough fuel to get back," he recalled. His small Piper Cub was not equipped to fly through a storm. Not knowing what to do, he began to fly in a circle while trying to determine a course of action. With his gas gauge registering empty, the man knew he had to attempt a landing at a nearby airport but it meant flying into the storm.
As he piloted his small aircraft into the clouds, the rain began to come down in torrents. Within seconds of entering the storm, the little plane was tossed about like a canoe on an angry sea. The plane's instruments were spinning crazily. He had no way of knowing if the Piper Cub was flying upside down, on its side, or right side up. He couldn't see the ground or the sky, only a swirling blackness. "I was completely helpless to do anything except pray to God to help me," he said.
Immediately after the prayer a tiny break appeared in the clouds directly below him. He could see the ground. With a shout of joy, he flew the little Cub through the small hole in the clouds. Right below was the airport. Desperately, he guided his plane toward the runway. Even though he approached from the wrong direction and overshot the runway, he landed safely. As he taxied back to the hangar, the tiny hole in the clouds closed into complete blackness again. Later he learned that the small break in the clouds lasted only a few moments and that it was the only break in the ceiling all afternoon.
Nehemiah was a man of prayer. After receiving word that the wall in Jerusalem was demolished and the people were distraught, he sought an opening to ask his master, King Artaxerxes, for permission to return to Jerusalem to help rebuild the wall. One day as Nehemiah was serving the king, the king asked him why he was so sad. With his heart racing like a wind whipping across the prairie and his emotions swirling like the clouds in a thunderstorm, he thought: Is this the opportunity I have been asking for? Is this the opening I have sought?
Like the pilot of the Piper Cub, immediately after praying, Nehemiah saw a tiny break in the clouds. He went through the opening. He was granted permission to leave. He landed in Jerusalem all because he prayed.
Would the king have granted Nehemiah permission to go to Jerusalem had he not been praying? Perhaps, but we have no guarantee. We do, however, have an example: The power of God was triggered by prayer. God opened the heart of King Artaxerxes, Nehemiah was granted permission to rebuild the wall in Jerusalem. The key that unlocked that door was prayer.
The practice of prayer in a believer's life is an incredible, virtually untapped power source. Prayer moves the hand of God. Prayer prevails. Prayer turns ordinary mortals into men and women of power. It is the key that unlocks the storehouse of God's riches. It is the call that moves heaven to act on behalf of earth.
The power of prayer is not found in the words you use, but in the one who hears. Prayer is the key that unlocks heaven's door.
Copyright 2012, Rick Ezell.
Comments