“Cease not to give thanks for you, making mention of you in my prayers; that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give unto you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of him: the eyes of your understanding being enlightened; that ye may know what is the hope of his calling, and what is the riches of the glory of his inheritance in the saints, and what is the exceeding greatness of his power to us-ward who believe, according to the working of his mighty power, which he wrought in Christ, when he raised him from the dead, and set him at his own right hand in the heavenly places” – Ephesians 1:16-20
LIGHT FOR NOW: Bad experiences are not authored by God neither are they orchestrated by God.
In dealing with this efficacy of prayer, we are dealing with the potency of prayer. The word “potency” in English grammar refers to power, strength, ability or capacity. It is the ability to perform something. In essence, what we will be looking at is the power of prayer, the effect of prayer, what prayer does or what happens when we pray. In expounding this, some myths as touching the subject of prayer will be cleared and the studies will answer certain questions as touching prayers. Now, does God answer prayer always? Many people are of the mindset and notion based on teaching that we will have to pass through the phase of “unanswered prayers” as believers, that sometimes God says “no” or “wait” so that you pass through certain experiences that will strengthen your faith until he (God) bails you out, rescues you or intervenes. This obviously is not the word of God. Bad experiences do not build our faith.
Some believers even say things like “I am going through that pain because God allowed it so he can use it to teach me a lesson… God is using that sickness to teach me a lesson… That calamity was orchestrated by God so he can humble me… God is using this poverty to teach me a lesson, so that when I finally become rich, I will be humble and so on…” Brothers and sisters, that is not God! God cannot use Satan’s tool to teach his children lessons. How can God give you poverty to humble you? How can he use sickness to teach you a lesson? God is the healer, and if he is the healer, he is not the one that makes people sick. That said, is there such thing as “unanswered prayers” for the believer in Christ? We will see it in next study. Glory!
INSTRUCTION: Know God in His word.
CONFESSION: My eyes of understanding are enlightened, in Jesus Name, Amen.
QUOTE: God is not the author of bad things; neither is he the orchestrator of bad experiences.
DAILY BIBLE READING: MORNING: EPHESIANS CHAPTER 3; EVENING: JAMES CHAPTER 1
LIGHT FROM THE WORD 