The Most Powerful Prayer Fuel

Have you ever wondered why, sometimes in life, a circumstance draws the strongest emotional response out of you?  Why are we that way?  I believe it is fuel—fuel for prayer, a supernatural exchange God created to have access to our lives, to lavish His goodness there.

In James 5:16 the Bible says, “Confess to one another therefore your faults and pray for one another, that you may be healed and restored.  The earnest heartfelt prayer of a righteous man makes tremendous power available, dynamic in its working”  (AMP).

We see something here: the earnest, heartfelt prayer. God made us with strong emotion so that when we are troubled, afraid, upset, happy, lonely, overwhelmed or dismayed and pray, that emotional passion actually makes power available in our prayers. It is fuel. Emotions often make us unwilling to settle for something less than our heart is crying for. It makes us tenacious prayers. I also love that this Scripture begins with vulnerability, a call to be “real” with people and keep short accounts, so there is nothing to hinder your prayer.

David gave us a great example of this honesty in Psalm 77. He begins his prayer by unloading his emotions before God. Then God’s presence meets his cry, and his entire perspective changes. He sees the greatness of God and His delivering hand. David prayed his emotions, and it fueled his prayer.

Let’s look back in James 5:17-20. The Bible tells us that Elijah was a man, like us, yet he prayed and it didn’t rain. He prayed again and it rained, implying that passionate praying can literally alter creation. God also wanted to qualify that it was Him and not Elijah’s prophet’s call that made his praying change things. God wanted us to see that we are all just like Elijah, and if God would do it for him, He would do it for us.

So here’s the question?  What do you do when you are upset?

Do you call your three closest friends and “vent”?

Or do you go to the throne of grace and pour out that passionate emotion before the ONE who can really effect some change?

God knows what you are feeling already; go ahead, let Him have your anger, resentment or disappointment. Let His presence meet it and turn your life around with His love. Remember, don’t clutter your friendships with emotional ranting. Next time you are tempted to dump your upset on a friend or an innocent bystander, dump up instead. Watch God sit down with power in your problem, and ignite the process of the unexplainable, supernatural power of a loving God come through. Try it … then share with us what God did!