Actually, every prayer prayed in faith will to some degree bring the power of God on the scene. But there is one prayer that is particularly effective, and it is often overlooked—not only in our daily lives, but also in times of need and crisis, when we require God's power the most.
It is the prayer of praise, worship and thanksgiving.
So much of the power of God was released when the Israelites worshipped God in one accord at the dedication of Solomon's temple that it knocked down all the ministers.
The Bible says that the house of the Lord was filled with a cloud so that the priests could not continue to minister, because the glory of God filled the temple.
Obviously, in Solomon's day, worship was not just the time during the Sunday service when music was sung and latecomers were seated.
It wasn't just a convenient element used to bring two parts of the service together. It was a time when the people truly bowed their hearts and worshipped God.
Many believers today don't know much about that kind of heartfelt worship. Instead they've become experts at saying, "Praise God. Praise God," with their mouths while their minds and hearts are focused on something else altogether.
We've all done that at times, and when we do, we are not plugging into the power of God.
We might be saying, "Hallelujah, Lord!" on the outside, but on the inside we're thinking about how badly our children have been acting lately or how we're going to pay the phone bill.
We might be singing praises to God while wondering where the pastor's wife bought the dress she's wearing. I'm sure you know as well as I do, that kind of worship isn't going to flood the church with the power of God.
by Lynne Hammond & Patsy Cameneti
Excerpt permission granted by Harrison House Publishers
A teacher and an author, Lynne publishes a newsletter called Prayer Notes, has written numerous books, and currently serves as the national prayer director for Daughters for Zion. Her passion for inspiring and leading others into the life of Spirit-led prayer continues to take her around the world to minister to believers whose heart cry, like hers, is “Lord, teach me to pray!”
