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Written by Kathy Reagan, volunteer with Iron Rose Sister Ministries

We know that prayer and study of the Word are the backbone of our relationships with God. I’ve heard it said that it’s the same in any relationship: once you stop listening to and talking to someone, that relationship is over. We listen to God by reading His Word, and we speak to Him in prayer. “Continue steadfastly in prayer, being watchful in it with thanksgiving” (Col 4:2 ESV). Again, in 1 Thessalonians 5:17, we’re instructed, “Pray without ceasing.”

Sisters, we all know how much God loves us, right? Just a few minutes of meditation on Jesus’ sacrifice makes that loud and clear. We know that it’s His will that we pray to Him, but let’s explore the blessings that come from a strong and consistent prayer life. They may surprise you.

• Prayer encourages us because we know that we have the ear of the Creator of the universe anytime we want! “We know that God does not listen to sinners, but if anyone is a worshipper of God and does His will, God listens to him” (Jn 9:31). This is still staggering to me, even after 50 years of being a Christian! Imagine living in a foreign country ruled by a king. Even if you were his close friend, how likely is it that you could get the king to listen to your every concern 24/7? How much more infinitely powerful is the One who spoke the universe into existence?! We have His ear at any time of day or night! Take a minute and reflect on the power of that alone!
• Prayer humbles us as we start our prayers with praise, reminding us of our proper place in relationship to our Creator. When Jesus gave His apostles an example of prayer, He began with “Our Father in heaven, hallowed be Your name” (Mt 6:9). We, too, begin our conversation with abundant praise for God, putting us in awe of Him once again, as we reflect on all He has done and continues to do, of His great love for us that He would give His Son to die such a hideous death to pave the way for us to be with Him eternally.
• Prayer humbles us as we consistently ask for His help. It reminds us that we are not perfect: “All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” (Ro 3:23). On the contrary, we are weak and sinful, yet the enemy likes to subtly encourage us to be puffed up, overconfident, and think too much of ourselves. The reality is that we’re simply unable or unequipped to do most things in life alone. But God promises to be with us: “Behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age” (Mt 28:20b), and give us wisdom: “If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given to Him” (Jas 1:5), and strength: “I can do all things through Him who strengthens me” (Php 4:13).
• Prayer blesses us even when we are so overwhelmed that we literally cannot utter the words to pray. The Spirit, who lives within us, intercedes at the most vulnerable times in our lives: “The Spirit helps us in our weakness. For we do not know what to pray for, as we ought, but the Spirit Himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words” (Ro 8:26).
• Prayer blesses us by keeping our minds on spiritual things, reminding us to see with spiritual eyes, and not focus on things of the earth: “Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth” (Col 3:2). Life on earth can be fast paced, often distracting us from spiritual things. But prayer recenters our thoughts and gives us a proper perspective on any topic, no matter how troubling.
• Prayer blesses us as we continually give up our struggles to Him, resulting in a peace that we cannot even understand! “Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus” (Php 4:6-7).
• Lastly, prayer blesses others and increases the Kingdom. We pray for those who are sick, and God heals them, or we pray for safety for our loved ones, and He grants that. We pray for someone we are studying with to have an open heart, and when they do, we rejoice with them at their baptism! Others are blessed through our prayers. The Kingdom increases.

Is it surprising to think that the majority of the blessings of an earnest and consistent prayer life come to those who are doing the praying?

Sisters, please allow me to encourage you to increase your prayer life significantly. It will bless you abundantly, as well as those you are praying for, and the Kingdom!

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Written by Corinne Faneus, Ministry Coordinator at Iron Rose Sister Ministries

“Well, there is nothing left to do except pray.”
“Sorry, I can’t do anything else, but I’ll pray for you.”
“The least I can do is pray.”

And the prayer offered in faith will make the sick person well; the Lord will raise them up. If they have sinned, they will be forgiven. Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective. (Jas 5:15-16 NIV)

We read throughout the Scriptures multiple prayers that had incredible and powerful results—Hannah in 1 Samuel 2, Hezekiah in 2 Kings 19, and Elijah in 1 Kings 17 and 18. Prayer is shown countless times as the means by which we put our faith and trust in God as the means for God to fulfill His promises and plans in our lives. Yet, often unintentionally, with our own words, we take away the very power that prayer holds. Like the phrases above, we often minimize prayer as a last resort or as a small, almost insufficient service to those around us.

Prayer is one of the greatest gifts we have been given. That God allows and plans for our prayers to be how He is moved to action is amazing, confusing, wonderful, mysterious, and awe-inspiring. God’s hand is moved by the prayers of His creation.

If we know all this to be true about prayer, how can we be women who offer powerful and effective prayers? How can our prayers bear fruit?

It may sound cliché, but for our prayers to be powerful and effective, we must have faith in God— faith that our prayers serve a purpose, and faith that God is working through our prayers. We can often wonder, “What difference will our prayers make? If God is sovereign and has everything all planned out, what difference does it make to pray for a dear friend to be healed from sickness? Does it really matter if I pray for my unbelieving relative, if God’s will is going to be accomplished regardless?”

“Jesus replied, ‘Truly I tell you, if you have faith and do not doubt, not only can you do what was done to the fig tree, but also you can say to this mountain, ‘Go, throw yourself into the sea,’ and it will be done.’” (Mt 21:21)

Our prayers of faith make all the difference, not because we can change God’s plans, but because part of God’s plan is that we pray! We pray to bring about what God has planned. Do you trust and believe that your prayer is part of God’s sovereign plan? Do you believe that God has planned to act because of your prayer?

In James 5:17, we see James give an example of a righteous person’s powerful and effective prayer, “Elijah was a man with a nature like ours, and he prayed fervently that it might not rain, and for three years and six months it did not rain on the earth” (ESV). Being a spiritual superstar like Elijah is not what makes our prayers effective and powerful. James points out to us that Elijah was a man with a nature like ours; he was a normal human being who prayed. He was just a man who prayed fervently, and his prayers were answered. Normal average women like you and me have that same ability as Elijah because prayer is about God and not about us. Just like Elijah, we can be righteous by offering fervent, faith-filled prayers.

Ordinary women submitted to God can offer effective and powerful prayers because we pray to an extraordinary God.