The Grandest Power In the Universe

My own soul’s conviction is that prayer is the grandest power in the entire universe, that it has more omnipotent force than electricity, attraction, gravitation, or any other of those other secret forces which men have called by name, but which they do not understand. Charles Spurgeon

Spurgeon believed that prayer, as he put it, is the grandest power in the universe. He believed that our prayers had the power to move God’s loving hand of grace and mercy. There are few preachers of Spurgeon’s day, and since then, who have not only left an amazing preaching legacy but also a praying legacy. We have so much more to learn from Spurgeon’s thoughts on prayer. Let’s end off this series by looking at a few more.

Be Specific When You Pray

“To make prayer of any value, there should be definite objects for which to plead.”

He believed that we should have a specific object of our prayer. So when we pray for others, we should mention the names of the people we are praying for and be specific about their needs. When we pray for a job, we can be specific about the location, the working hours and even the colleagues we will work with, and that amongst them there will be fellow believers in Christ. When we pray for a new house, we can pray about specific features we would like our new home to have. When we pray for a new school for our children, we can be specific so their needs will be met – academically, socially, and in terms of sporting potential.

When You Can’t Pray, Pray for Help

 

“If I feel myself disinclined to pray, then is the time when I need to pray more than ever.”

When we can’t pray, we ought to ask God to help us to pray. We can ask Holy Spirit to assist us so we can be empowered to pray.

 

And the Holy Spirit helps us in our weakness. For example, we don’t know what God wants us to pray for. But the Holy Spirit prays for us with groanings that cannot be expressed in words. Romans 8:26 (NLT)

 

The enemy of our souls wants nothing more than to hinder us so that we don’t pray. He understands better than we do the great things that God will accomplish through our prayers.

 

Read the Bible First

“If the flesh in its weakness hampers the spirit, then let the Bible reading come before the praying, that the soul may be awakened thereby.”

 

When we start our prayer time with Bible reading, we are reading God’s promises. This will “awaken our souls” to who God is. It will encourage us to have the confidence that He hears our prayers and will answer them (1 John 5:14-15). 

 

So, let us not forget the grand power at our disposal. The supernatural power that is God’s alone. God will move powerfully on our behalf. Our pleas will not be in vain.

 

The Lord hears his people when they call to him for help. He rescues them from all their troubles. Psalm 34:17 (NLT)

 

Reflection:

Take time to think about Spurgeon’s thoughts on prayer and how you can apply them to your prayer life.

 

Prayer:

Thank you, Lord, for the amazing power of prayer. When I find it difficult to pray, help me to pray in the power of Your Holy Spirit. Help me to read Your Word before I pray. May I always remember to be specific about my prayer requests. In Jesus’ name, amen.