Everywhere I go, I hear about it. More and more people are dedicated to it. Most churches have groups that regularly do it. Many people have seen it as their primary calling as a disciple. If you peruse your local Christian bookstore, or look at books online, you will find a large number of titles about it. I have two good friends who preach for large congregations that have seen a rebirth in evangelism; the primary evangelistic methodology is a return to it.

    What is this great secret? It’s no secret, we’ve just awakened it from hibernation and retrieved it from eclipse. This great blessing is prayer.

    As a friend so eloquently put it, “God in his sovereign wisdom chose to wait until we ask for what he longs to give us before he actually blesses us with it.” Prayer is our way of asking God — not selfishly asking, mind you, but redemptively and passionately for others and the work of God. God longs for us to pray for our neighbors and their hearts to be open to the Gospel. God wants us to pray for those who are ill and need healing. God wants us to pray for our children, our families, and our marriages. God wants us to pray for rulers and authorities.

For the USA National Day of Prayer, check out the following HEARTLIGHT resources: HeartCards Pray and Fast for the President You can find daily prayers and Scriptures in the following free HEARTLIGHT online and email resources: Today’s Verse What Jesus Did! Praying with Paul For further thought and study, look at the following Scriptures and determine what God is trying to teach you about the power of prayer. (Click the passage to open the text from our Bible study resource called StudyLight.org!) Psalm 51 Matthew 6:5-15 Luke 11:1-13 John 17 Acts 4:23-31 Romans 8:26-28 Ephesians 3:14-21 Ephesians 6:18-20 Colossians 4:2-4 1 Thessalonians 5:15-18 1 Thessalonians 5:23-24 2 Thessalonians 2:16-17 James 1:5-8 James 5:13-18 1 Peter 5:6-11

    Prayer is much more than merely a belated Christmas list given to the High King of Heaven! Prayer is a time of confession for our sins, of praise for our Almighty God, of thanksgiving for our blessings, and of declaring the things God has done. Prayers can be written out, said silently, spoken out loud, uttered while kneeling or lying prostrate, offered with uplifted hands, or shouted with joy and jubilation at salvation coming to those who are lost.

    Prayer is an avalanche of grace. You see, prayer doesn’t really change things; no, prayer changes us. Prayer doesn’t really change things; God changes things in response to prayer. Every step of the way, prayer is a gracious gift spilling down from the mercy and generosity of our Father who loves us. By grace, and the intercession of Jesus and the Holy Spirit, we come into the very presence of God and he hears us. By grace, even when we don’t have the words to say, the Holy Spirit intercedes for us with sighs too deep for words and does so in accordance with the will of God. By grace, God gives us what we need and not necessarily what we think is best. By grace, God chooses to respond to our cries for mercy, deliverance, restoration, and forgiveness. By grace, prayer invites God to go to work in our world and bring his presence and power to bear on situations too big for us to understand, much less control. By grace, God unleashes his awesome love and power to ripple out across generations, communities, and years. Prayer is an avalanche of grace!

    So when the National Day of Prayer shows up on our doorstep, how can we not pray for the leaders of world governments, for the righteousness of our governmental leaders, for peace in the world that will speed evangelism to the nations in bondage, and for godly wisdom to be displayed in our schools and justice be honored in our courthouses.

    Prayer, and any day of emphasis on prayer, must never be allowed to be routine or happenstance. God has given us this gift to unleash an avalanche of his grace. So as one who walked in the high country of grace and tasted the sweet air of salvation, isn’t time you joined in the sounds that release an avalanche of grace?

Title: "Avalanche of Grace"
Author: Phil Ware
Publication Date: April 30, 2001

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