Have you witnessed the power of prayer? Each of you has a story or two to tell of how prayer has changed your life. Prayer warriors are among us, spending time in prayer closets and experiencing God powerfully and personally.

Prayer is an important power in your life? Do you believe that God hears and answers prayers? Paul believed in the power of prayer and living lives of honor to God. He wrote letters of instruction to Timothy commanding him to teach these things with diligence and perseverance.

Words from 1 Timothy 2:1 remind us that first of all, requests, prayers, intercession and thanksgiving should be made for everyone. The Dove Brothers wrote a song sharing the power of prayer. The words tell what we can do when things seem hopeless and nothing seems to go our way - We Can Pray.

Corrie ten Boom wrote of a tired old woman in a concentration camp who believed in the power of prayer. Seven hundred people were cramped in a camp built for only two hundred. One day a fight broke out and Betsie began to pray aloud. The storm was calmed for the dirty, nervous, tense people who faced death in the camp. The little lady kept praying until all was quiet. Then she thanked God, who used her to save the situation for seven hundred prisoners through her prayers.

There may be days of darkness and distress, when sin has power to tempt and confusion clouds our minds. Yet, in the darkest day we need not fear, for our Lord and Savior is always near. He hears our prayers, answering in His way and time. Remembering Paul’s charge to Timothy encourages us to press forward, pursuing righteousness, godliness, faith, love, endurance and gentleness and always being in prayer.

The powerful verse in 1 Timothy 6:12 is music to the ears of one facing battles in this life. “Fight the good fight of the faith.” God watches as we handle situations and sow seeds, pray and put our hope in Him. 1 Timothy 4 shares that Jesus is the Savior of all men, and especially of those who believe. He continues with a command to teach these things and not let anyone look down on you because you are young. Verse 12-13 show the importance of praying Christians. “Set an example for the believers in speech, in life, in love, in faith and in purity. Be diligent…so that everyone can see your progress.”

A recent Tuesday morning, I experienced how prayer changes lives as four people gathered to pray at Tim’s Gift. The regular prayer partners were not present this particular morning. Prayer began with the Holy Spirit moving in ways I never imagined. Every person around the table was a widow or widower. God used three of us to calm a storm that threatened to destroy the other person’s life. God’s wondrous ways leave us wondering why anyone wouldn’t believe in the power of prayer. What we shared that morning changed each of our lives. We agreed that God aligned it and assigned those He needed to be there for a purpose we couldn’t see when prayer began. When amen was said and tears were dried, we knew we were part of His plan to bring peace and purpose to another widow’s life. That experience with God brought us closer to His plan and purpose for each of our lives. He blesses beautifully when we stand firm in faith and bath our hearts and homes in prayer.

This week end I will witness God’s answer to a mother’s prayers. God blessed Tim and me with two healthy sons to love and cherish and train up in the way they should go. From the minute we heard their little cries when they came into our world, we prayed prayers of thanksgiving, protection, and blessings over them. We didn’t do the parent thing with perfection, making lots of mistakes along the journey. Yet, we honored God as we learned and looked to Him for answers and direction. Whatever we faced, we took it to the Lord in prayer. We worked hard and played hard too, enjoying each season God blessed us to be together.

Teaching our sons the power of prayer at an early age was important to us. We prayed at meals, at ballgames, at church, at night, riding in the car, at special times of joy and tumultuous times when we wondered what in the world to do with our sons. Tim always said, ‘we will love them.’!

I bathed Cameron and Clint’s rooms in prayer and spent much time on my knees beside their beds…from cradle, to crib, to bunk bed, to twin bed. My prayers were always for God to protect, bless, and enlarge their territories. Often, I would walk into their rooms to clean up or place ironed clothes in their closets and I’d think, ‘they’re growing up so fast, Lord.’ Even though my sons were not home and tucked safely in their beds, I would kneel and spend time with my Father thanking Him and asking Him to take care of them.

One of my constant prayers was for God to guide each of them to a Christian woman, a wife to love and cherish forever and ever. Tim and I watched Cameron marry his Angel in 2004. This week end I will witness Clint marry his sweetheart, Jamie. My heart is filled with joy, for God has answered this mother’s prayers. Each of my sons is happy and in love with a wife who loves them and the Lord. My prayers continue for my family to stay closely connected to God and one another forever and ever. As our big, happy family grows, I am in awe of the great I AM who works all things out, in our lives, according to His purpose and plans. And when things happen we just don’t understand or know how to handle…We Can Pray.