The Power of Prayer: A Guide for Spiritual and Physical Challenges

Introduction

It was a late night in August 2022, around 1 AM, and I found myself in quite a challenging situation. At that time, I was working as an operator at a fertilizer plant when I accidentally struck my elbow while climbing down a ladder and lost consciousness. I was still about 20-25 feet in the air when I fell. When I came to—and I won’t go into all the details—I realized I couldn’t move, and my upper body felt like it was on fire. My radio, which was attached to my hard hat, landed about five feet away, and I couldn’t reach it to call for help. I’d be lying if I said I didn’t feel like my life was over that night as I lay there in a pool of blood, but in those tough moments, I remembered I had God by my side. I began to cry out, asking God to give me just enough strength to reach my radio and call for help. Then, suddenly, my arm started to move, and I was able to pull myself over to my radio, getting the help I desperately needed.

I’m sharing this story because it beautifully illustrates the importance of prayer, not just in challenging moments but also in our everyday lives. It’s so easy to find ourselves thinking, “I’ve got this!” and dive right into fixing things without pausing to consider God’s role in it all. Many of us believe that prayer is great for spiritual matters, but might doubt its power in physical situations. However, prayer is deeply woven into God’s love for every part of our existence, be it physical, like my fall, or spiritual. In this article, I hope to help us all gain a deeper understanding of prayer in a holistic way and offer some practical tips to enrich our prayer life moving forward.

Understanding Prayer in the Reformed Tradition

Prayer is “Fellowship with God through Jesus Christ, expressed in adoration, thanksgiving and intercession, through which believers draw near to God and learn more of his will for their lives.” There are so many wonderful ways to express ourselves in prayer! Today, let’s focus on four key aspects, known as the ACTS model of prayer. First, there’s adoration, where we joyfully praise God for who He is. Second, we have confession, which invites us to honestly admit our sins and seek His forgiveness. Third, there’s thanksgiving, where we take a moment to express our heartfelt gratitude for all the blessings God bestows upon us. Lastly, we reach out in supplication, seeking God’s provision in our daily lives to meet our needs.

Rather than viewing prayer as a way to twist God’s arm to get what we want, let’s see it as a beautiful opportunity to align ourselves with His will and trust in His wonderful plan for us. For a Christian, prayer should feel as natural and essential as breathing. “Even a cursory perusal of the Scriptures will reveal the large and important place which the doctrine of prayer finds therein. The Christian life cannot be sustained without it; it is the Christian’s vital breath.” When we don’t view prayer as an essential part of our relationship with God, it can easily slip to the bottom of our priorities, often becoming a last resort, if we remember it at all. Let’s take a closer look at these two important issues and explore how prayer can support us along the way.

Prayer for Spiritual Issues

When it comes to the spiritual life of the Christian, prayer is vital for growing and deepening our relationship with God and growing in maturity. James 1:15 says, “If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given him.” With a little faith, we can confidently approach God, asking for strength, obedience, and insight into His will for us in every aspect of our lives. Each day, we can lift our hearts in prayer, saying, “Lord, give me knowledge and wisdom to know you more deeply.” Or we might ask, “Lord, grant me the wisdom to recognize my own sin and to turn away from them.” Rest assured, God will hear and respond to these heartfelt prayers.

Forgiveness and intercession are other spiritual areas where prayer brings us into the will of God for our lives. Crying out to God in honest confession brings about healing from our own personal sin, while intercession helps bring about God’s healing and forgiveness for others in their sin. We see this from David in Psalm 51:10-12 as he cries out to God, confessing and asking for forgiveness. Through prayer, we seek renewal for our souls by confessing sin, repenting for it, and seeking forgiveness.

Just as Jesus makes intercession for us (Heb. 7:25), we also have the beautiful opportunity to make intercessory pleas to God for others. At my home church, the men come together every last Saturday of the month to support one another in prayer and share our struggles and sins openly. This is truly what intercessory prayer is all about: listening to others and genuinely caring enough to pray for God’s healing, both physically and spiritually. We actually do this more often than we realize. When we see requests for prayer on social media, it’s easy to say we’ll pray and then let it slip our minds. So, the next time you offer to pray for someone, consider taking a moment right then and there to pray silently to God on their behalf.

Prayer for Physical Issues

The second area where we seek prayer is in the physical realm of our lives in this broken world. While some physical problems are related to sin issues, not all of them are, and some are simply a result of living in this broken world. So, while we pray for the aspect of renewal from sin, we also pray for the renewal of our physical bodies and sufferings.

King Hezekiah beautifully illustrates the power of prayer in 2 Kings 20:1-6. In this passage, he faces a serious illness, and the prophet Isaiah delivers the unfortunate news that his time is near. However, King Hezekiah reaches out to God with heartfelt faith, pleading for healing. In response, God sends Isaiah back with uplifting news: King Hezekiah would be healed because of his faithfulness and prayer. Although we may not always experience the healing we hope for in this life, we can look forward to ultimate healing in the life to come. This doesn’t mean we shouldn’t earnestly pray for healing now, aligning our requests with God’s will for our lives. Trusting and believing that even if we’re not healed on this side of heaven, God remains good and is always on our side.

Theological Foundations of Prayer

There are two important things to keep in mind about prayer. First, God’s sovereignty is unwavering, and we don’t have the power to sway Him in any direction. Second, we have to remember that Christ is the ultimate intercessor who bridges the gap between our sinful nature and a holy God.  “Our prayer is not a vain attempt to appease a god who despises us. It is quite the opposite. Our prayer is a response to the One whose love embraces us.” Prayer is a heartfelt response to God, who lovingly protects, strengthens, guides, forgives, and helps us through life. It’s a beautiful connection of our will with His. In Romans 8:34 and Hebrews 7:25, we see Christ as our mediator, praying for us to the God who truly loves and cares for us. These two wonderful theological foundations give us a deeper understanding of prayer, allowing us to view it in light of God’s loving purposes rather than just our own needs.

How to Pray: Practical Tips from the Reformed Tradition

You might be thinking, “I just wanted a practical way to begin praying!” That’s a great thought! Remember earlier when I mentioned the ACTS model of prayer? Let’s dive a little deeper into that, and you can use it as a fantastic starting point for your prayers. When you begin, start from the top of this model and work your way down. Adoration is all about expressing reverence for who God is, like saying, “Lord, you are a holy God.” Confession is a precious moment to share your sins, emotions, struggles, and more, saying, “Lord, I have sinned against you, and I need your help to turn from it.” Thanksgiving is the time to express gratitude for everything God has done, is doing, and will do, for instance, “Lord, I thank you for waking me up this morning and giving me life.” Finally, supplication is when you ask for the needs of yourself and others, such as, “Lord, give me wisdom and knowledge to help my friend in their struggles and grant them peace.” This wonderful ACTS model is an excellent and easy way to start praying more regularly, serving as a practical solution to enrich your prayer life!

Feel free to be open and sincere in your prayers because God already knows everything, so there’s truly nothing to hide! Consider picking a specific time each day, like first thing in the morning, to follow this prayer model consistently for 30 days. I’ve always heard that it takes about 30 days to form a habit, so why not give it a go and see all the wonderful things God will do in those first 30 days? You can even weave your daily Scripture reading into your prayers. For instance, you might use Psalm 23 and share God’s words back with Him! God truly delights in the prayers of His children; He listens to us and responds (Psalm 66:19).

Conclusion and Call to Action

To sum everything up, prayer is a vital part of a Christian’s life, much like the natural act of breathing. Just as we breathe instinctively, we should also turn to prayer regularly. Prayer helps us connect with God for every spiritual and physical need, whether it’s ours or someone else’s. Why not start today? Try praying for just 5 minutes a day using the ACTS model, and watch how that habit of prayer develops. When you say you’ll pray for someone, take a moment to pause and say a quick, silent prayer. Paul encourages us in 1 Thessalonians 5:17 to be a people who “pray without ceasing.” Remember, prayer is not just a collection of words; it’s a bridge to God, with Christ right there in the middle, holding everything together. So, whether you’re facing a spiritual challenge or a physical one, seek God in all aspects of your life.  

Manser, Martin H. 2009. Dictionary of Bible Themes: The Accessible and Comprehensive Tool for Topical Studies. London: Martin Manser.

Evans, William, and S. Maxwell Coder. 1974. The Great Doctrines of the Bible. Enl. ed. Chicago: Moody Press.