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Hey now… don’t shoot the messenger. I’m just telling it like it is. Hang with me for a minute.
I’m sure you’ve heard it. You’ve probably said it yourself. I’ve said it: “there’s power in prayer.” Well, there’s not. Prayer has no power at all. I can prove it.
How do we know there’s no power in prayer? Simple: if prayers have power, then anybody who prays could use that power for themselves. Believers. Skeptics. Non-believers. Unbelievers. Agnostics. Atheists. Small children. The mentally ill. Even politicians could pray and tap into the power of prayer.
You and I both know that’s not how prayer works. That’s how magic is supposed to work. Say the incantation and the results are yours for the asking. Rub the magic lamp and get three wishes. Anybody can do it. You don’t have to be strong or wise or virtuous… you just have to pray, and things will happen.
“Prayer: our most powerful weapon against evil.”
“Pray the Rosary.”
“Prayer changes things.”
Nonsense. Prayer isn’t magic.
That doesn’t mean that prayers are worthless, of course. The question is where the power comes from. In magical, superstitious thinking, it’s the incantation… saying the right words in the right order. You don’t even have to believe them for the spell to work! It’s interesting that false teacher Kenneth Hagin said this about the power of words:
“It used to bother me when I’d see unsaved people getting results [miracles], but my church members not getting results. Then it dawned on me what the sinners were doing: They were cooperating with this law of God – the law of faith.”
That’s magical thinking. It’s a lie. Simply speaking words does nothing on its own. When we pray, we’re not tapping into some universal power that’s available to all. That’s entirely unbiblical. What are we doing when we pray?
Prayer is asking God.
We all know this. We even have bumper-sticker sayings to go along with it, like this one: “God always answers prayer: YES, NO, or NOT YET.”
We know that it’s God who determines the results of our prayers. Philippians 4 tells us to present our requests to God. In Jeremiah 29 God told the Israelites that when they pray to Him, He listens. In Matthew 6 Jesus said to pray to the Father. In James 4 we see that we’re to ask God, and to ask with right motives. In Ezra 8 the Israelites fasted and prayed to God, and He answered them. I could go on and on.
At this point you might be thinking, “Come on, Tony. We all know that’s what we mean when we say ‘the power of prayer.’” You might even be saying it out loud. Maybe you spilled your coffee. Why am I making a big deal out of this? Two reasons:
No, not everybody knows this. I get emails and comments all the time from people who believe that saying the words means getting the results. It’s a big problem, even among those who say they follow Jesus, and
If we’re going to say something, we should say what we mean. Instead of saying that prayer has power, it’s more accurate and more obvious and more helpful to non-believers to say that God has power, and that prayer is asking Him to act on our behalf.
Prayer has no power. God has power. Prayer is not powerful. God is powerful. Prayer doesn’t change things. God changes things.
I can think of a verse that sure sounds like prayers have power. It’s one of my favorite verses, found in James 5: The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective. Or, as I learned it back in the days of red letters and King James: The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much. Yes, it does… but we tend to skip over the part about being RIGHTEOUS. That means being in a right relationship with God. Righteous people understand that prayer is the creation coming humbly to the Creator, asking for help… and that God decides, in love and with perfect wisdom, what is best. The prayer of a righteous person simply echoes the prayer of Jesus:
Not my will, but your will be done.
Pray always. Pray without ceasing… and the Lord, who hears your prayers, will answer.
I love you all.
❤️
🔖 Helpful Resources
Is God Disappointed With Me? - I needed this reminder.
One Weird Trick to Getting All Your Prayers Answered the Way You Want - This click-baity headline hides a good article.
The Massacre of the Innocents - Simply the most bulletproof arguments against abortion. Learn them. Use them.
We Who Are So Ordinary - We tend to value charisma, skill, and talent. As a result, we’re drawn to church leaders with charisma, skill, and talent. The rest of us pale in comparison, don’t we? No, Tim Challies doesn’t think so. I agree.
Every Proper Name in the Bible
Yeah, that’s right. I think I’ve compiled a comprehensive list of every proper name in the Bible… each named person and place in the whole book. Why would I do this? Well, I like lists. I like to gather info together. You never know how it might be useful in the future. Maybe your name is there…
🎶 These Days
Jeremy Camp is singing my song. While a lot of people are complaining that the world is going to Hell in a handbasket, it’s clear that this is also a time of great spiritual renewal. A ton of people send me emails asking who they can trust, how to restore a broken relationship with God, and more. The instability in our cultures creates a hunger for stability, truth, and trustworthiness… all things that God offers to a lost world.
I believe that you and I
Are in the right place at the right time
God called us by name
And He doesn’t make mistakes
I know we were born to shine bright
In a dark world that needed some light
Don’t have to be afraid
Maybe we were made
For these days
- Jeremy Camp
🚀 Quotable
Think yourself empty, read yourself full, write yourself clear, and pray yourself hot.
- Alistair Begg
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Clarity and honesty on prayer. Finally! I have several books and come away with, “yeah I make lists, but God still has to decide on that choice”. I had to settle on the reality, prayer is not about power, but a child asking.
You are exactly right and thank you for writing this. We've written similar articles and really appreciate how you've made clear the difference between magic and praying. It God's power!
Blessings