The Power of Prayer

By Rev. Heidi L. Barham |  May 22, 2022

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Read Acts 16:9 – 15 (NIV)
 
Today’s New Testament lesson which comes from the Book of Acts highlights part of Paul’s second missionary journey as he was setting out to visit some of the cities where he had preached before. 
 
However, as Paul and his companions ventured toward Asia, the Spirit of the Lord stopped them.  They changed course and then set off toward Bithynia only to be stopped again.  That is when they ultimately ended up in a city called Troas.
 
It was there that Paul had a vision of a man imploring him to come to Macedonia to help them.  Believing that God was indeed calling them to preach the gospel in Macedonia, Paul and his comrades made plans to leave at once.  They were able to make their way to Philippi, a Roman colony which was the leading city in that part of Macedonia.  And according to the text, they stayed there for several days.
 
Now, when the Sabbath came, Paul and his companions went outside the city gates looking for a place of prayer. (Unrecognized religions were not allowed inside of the city gates, which is why they went outside.  And that is where they encountered a group of women that included an influential businesswoman named Lydia.
 
Lydia was a dealer in purple cloth which gives us some indication that she was likely a wealthy woman.  Purple cloth was expensive and was often worn as a sign of nobility or royalty. 
 
But beyond being a woman of means, the Scriptures tell us that Lydia was a worshiper of God.  And when she heard Paul speak, the Lord opened Lydia’s heart to respond to his message.
 
Lydia’s response resulted in her and her household being baptized… and after they were baptized, Lydia opened her home to Paul and his friends and she invited them to come stay with her… which they did.
 
Now when we look at this passage of Scripture, we can see evidence of THE POWER OF PRAYER.  Beginning with Paul hearing from and listening to the direction he received from the Spirit of the Lord… to Lydia responding to the message Paul preached which led to her entire household being baptized… to Paul and his friends being shown hospitality in a place they had not even originally set out to visit.
 
God’s hand was clearly at work in everything that took place.  
 
So, the question for us today is simple… where do we see God’s hand at work in the events in our lives?
 
Do we sense God shifting us from moving in one direction and leading us along a different path as He did for Paul and those who traveled with him?
 
Just the other day, I was engaged in a conversation with a woman who is a member of one of the churches where I had previously interviewed to be the pastor. I made reference to their decision not to call me to serve their congregation and how I had gotten to a point where I was ready to give up… thinking that perhaps God had not called me to preach after all. 
 
Then we started talking about what it means to remain open to God when He takes us in a different direction than the one we may have wanted to take.  Just as the Spirit of the Lord directed Paul away from Asia and Bithynia and toward Philippi, God had directed me away from that church, as well as a couple others before that one, and led me here.  Now, eight years later, it is not too hard to see how God’s hand was at work in all of it.
 
But where else might we see God’s had at work in our lives as we have seen in the text? 
 
Do we find ourselves responding to the Word of God like Lydia… being willing to make a public confession of our faith and make a commitment to serve the Lord?
 
When we read the Bible or listen to a sermon, do we feel a sense of urgency in our spirits to do something?  According to the text, Lydia and her whole household were baptized.  But how do we respond to the Word of the Lord?
 
Do we keep doing the same old things… going along with business as usual?  Or do we look for opportunities to bless someone else even as we have been blessed? 
 
In James 2 (14 – 17) we read:


​​​​​​​What good is it, my brothers and sisters, if someone claims to have faith but has no deeds? Can such faith save them? Suppose a brother or a sister is without clothes and daily food. If one of you says to them, “Go in peace; keep warm and well fed,” but does nothing about their physical needs, what good is it?  In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead.
 
Or as it reads in the Message Paraphrase:

Dear friends, do you think you’ll get anywhere in this if you learn all the right words but never do anything? Does merely talking about faith indicate that a person really has it? For instance, you come upon an old friend dressed in rags and half-starved and say, “Good morning, friend! Be clothed in Christ! Be filled with the Holy Spirit!” and walk off without providing so much as a coat or a cup of soup—where does that get you? Isn’t it obvious that God-talk without God-acts is outrageous nonsense?
 
Lydia heard the Word and not only she, but her entire household was baptized.  And then she took things a step further… she opened up her home… offering hospitality to Paul and those who had traveled with him.
 
Now, the word hospitality comes from the same root as the word hospital… essentially, to practice hospitality means to open one’s home to help care for others… to nurture, strengthen, and serve them… to provide a place where they can find physical, spiritual, and emotional help… where they can leave healthier and more whole than when they arrived.
 
Lydia opened her own home but her example can and should be extended to our church homes as well… to the House of the Lord… where those who come in should leave healthier and more whole than when they arrived.
 
It takes us back to the words of Jesus found in Mark 2 (17) when He said, “It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners.”
 
Jesus came “to seek and to save the lost” (Luke 19:10).  He did not come into the world to condemn it, but to save it (See John 3:17).  And the church, the body of believers, should be a beacon that draws people in where they can find salvation and healing through Jesus.
 
Simply put, like a hospital, the church should be a healing station … However, just a week ago, yet another church found itself in need of a healing after a gunman opened fire in a Taiwanese Presbyterian Church in Laguna Woods, CA… killing a physician and wounding five others.
 
It is sadly all too reminiscent of what happened at two mosques in Christchurch, New Zealand (2019), the Tree of Life Synagogue in Pittsburgh, PA (2018), the First Baptist Church in Sutherland Springs, TX (2017), Mother Emmanuel AME Church in Charleston, SC (2015) as well as many others that are too numerous to mention. 
 
Time and time again, unsuspecting people have gone into their houses of worship, which should have been a haven of peace… only to have that peace shattered mercilessly by a gunman’s bullets.
 
And yet, each time these tragic events have occurred, we have witnessed THE POWER OF PRAYER that has led to healing and restoration…
 
We have seen undeniable proof that love truly is stronger than hate…
 
After each of those horrific shootings that happened in places of worship… people of all faiths came together in support of one another… differences in religious ideology were of no concern… all that mattered was showing love and compassion toward the people and communities that were hurting.
 
Following the mass shooting that took place at a Tops grocery store in Buffalo, NY, last Saturday, the day before the California church shooting, one of the survivors of the New Zealand shooting, was quoted as saying, “Violence does not solve the problem… They should see that. People, including the extremists, should see that violence does not fix anything. Peace will fix it” (https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/world/new-zealand-mosque-attack-survivor-to-extremists-violence-doesn-e2-80-99t-drive-people-apart-it-brings-them-together/ar-AAXnTH2?ocid=uxbndlbing).
 
“Violence does not fix anything… peace will fix it…”
 
It is through THE POWER OF PRAYER that we can find the peace of God which seems to defy logic, especially in the wake of unimaginable heartache and hardship… the peace that we read about in the Apostle Paul’s letter to the Philippians (4:6 – 7) where he writes:

Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.
 
It is THE POWER OF PRAYER that promises us perfect peace in the face of chaos and confusion… the peace that we find in the words of the Prophet Isaiah who writes, “You will keep in perfect peace those whose minds are steadfast, because they trust in you” (Isaiah 26:3).
 
And it is THE POWER OF PRAYER that assures us that we can have peace, no matter what the world would have us to believe otherwise… because the Lord is faithful to His promise to be with us always… even in times of unspeakable tragedy and tribulation.
 
It is this peace that Jesus spoke about when He said, “I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world” (John 16:33).
 
And it is this peace that Jesus promised in John 14:27 when He said, “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.”
 
I will be honest, it can be extremely difficult to look at the circumstances in the world around us and not be afraid… but as Paul reminded his young protégé Timothy, “… God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind” (2 Timothy 1:7, NKJV).
 
We do not need to fear because the fact of the matter is that God loves us so much “that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life” (John 3:16).
 
It is in Acts 4:12 that we read, “Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to mankind by which we must be saved.”
 
And in Paul’s letter to the Philippians (2:9 – 11) we find this declaration:

Therefore God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue acknowledge that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.
 
So have no fear, even in the face of all the uncertainty that is raging in the world around us, not only can we rely on THE POWER OF PRAYER, we have the blessed assurance that there is power in the name of Jesus.
 
And if you know and believe that to be true, I want to invite you to stand now and join in singing our Hymn of Discipleship: All Hail the Power of Jesus' Name! (v. 1, 2, 4) #91.

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