How to unleash the power of prayer – start talking to God!

 

In reality prayer or the power of prayer is a conversation we have with God. Parents instruct their children how to pray to God, but all too often the "Now I lay me down to sleep........... " type of prayer at bedtime and the child's understanding of God does not maturate well. A child sees God as all-powerful much as the child views his or her earthly father. When the child reaches the 20s or 30s that image of God no longer works. When a crisis happens, the God of the child's formative years is not credible.

It took me twenty-one years to learn how to unleash the power of prayer, which saved my life more than once. There was a moment when the power of prayer, through God's grace, manifested itself instantly before my eyes. However, I was not at a point in my spiritual awareness to recognize that the power of prayer in this single experience, planted the seed for my future spiritual growth. Life experiences were required before I learned how to unleash the power of prayer. However, waiting to become fifty or sixty is not a prerequisite to unleash the power of prayer.

The story below is when I first realized I knew how to unleash the power of prayer:

When I was 21, I went to a party with a man I did not know well. By the end of the night I realized he was very intoxicated. He insisted on driving me home, instead he drove me to a place called “lover’s lane” and parked. His consumption of liquor at theparty turned him into someone I did not know. In his determination to have sex with me, he attacked me. I was sure I was going to die.

The struggle became ugly, He put his hands around my neck and started to squeeze, but not tightly enough for me to stop breathing. Many thoughts raced through my mind. Primarily I thought about how devastated my mother would be when she found out that I had died. Then I realized, as if a neon sign was blinking in front of me, that I was going to die and I needed to do something -- and fast. My verbal plea was, "God, have mercy on my soul!"

Then there was silence--and he stopped squeezing my neck. The silence was sort-lived. To release his anger, he punched me in the mouth. I cried out from the intense pain, but I was relieved that his hands were no longer around my neck. I quickly regained my composure, got out of the car and ran as fast as I could to where I thought I would be safe. I was not aware that another car was parked a short distance from ours. As I ran to the car, I stumbled in the dew-drenched soil and found myself prostrated in front of a pair of men's shoes. I did not know this man, but I had to trust someone.

It takes practice in how to unleash the power of prayer and to believe in the words, God havemercy on my soul. It takes life experiences and all too often this is a factor of age. It is a given that God has mercy on my soul, but at this time in my life I did not fully understand that. God have mercy on my soul was not a common expression of mine. It was as though I was being prompted.

We might think of God as we think of what engineers call a black box. As laypersons we do not know what takes place within the box. I have no idea what happens when prayers go into the black box. My only interest is what comes out. This may be an immediate answer to my prayer, as with the time I was attacked. The answer might take a much longer time, as it did in marrying for the second time, or the prayer might never be answered in the manner I anticipated. For example, I asked for guidance in my financial affairs and found myself moving to Arizona after a net gain from selling one house and buying another. My prayers are not always answered according to my timetable, this is where faith, patience and trust come into play. If I can point to situations in the past where my prayers have been answered, then this fact should affirm that my current prayers would be answered as well. I simply need to be patient and open to the answer. Patience! Now there is the rub!

 

 

 

A spiritual and inspirational guide. Drawing From The Well by Ruth Shults

Moonlight Over The Canal. A Memoir
by Ruth Shults.