|
Ask, Seek, Knock, The Power of Prayer.
Written by Rabbi Jason Sobel
A key component to effective prayer is the belief that prayer has the power to really change things, even the will of God in some mysterious way. Unfortunately over time, as our spiritual ardor cools, prayer often degenerates into mere habit or a rote religious ritual. Sometimes we have prayed so long and hard for something that when it does not come to pass, we lose faith in the power of prayer altogether.
We must be careful to guard against these things. For through the
power of prayer barren women like Rebecca and Hannah gave birth. The
power of prayer has halted famines, saved the Jewish people from
judgment, and has miraculous delivered kings like Hezekiah from mighty
armies. Messiah Yeshua even raised the dead through his prayers.
May the following stories renew our faith in the potency and power of prayer.
A man with a sick daughter came to R. Shlomo Zalman Auerbach to ask him
to prayer for his daughter, for the doctors despaired of her life. R.
Shlomo Zalman encouraged him, blessed her, and wished them both well.
After they left, he took out the Book of Psalms and poured out his
heart on behalf of the sick child.
The next morning, the man returned with good news. The girl had
improved dramatically, and the doctors were optimistic. He was
convinced that it was a miracle.
Rabbi Shlomo quoted the Talmud, which says that one should ask a wise
person to pray on behalf of someone who is ill (b. Baba Batra 116). R.
Shlomo Zalman asked, “Why is he not told to go to a tzaddik, a
righteous person?”
If he went to a tzaddik to receive a blessing and the patient
recovered, the tzaddik would be convinced that he was a miracle
worker. But when a wise person’s prayers are fulfilled he attributes
it to the power of prayer.
HaMaor HaGadol
Many years ago, I used to work with the homeless in New York City. I
became friendly with a homeless man by the name of George. One day I
received a phone call from him saying that he was in the hospital with
severe frostbite in his legs. The doctors told him that barring a
miracle George was going to lose on his legs. A friend and I went to
visit him in the hospital and prayed for a complete healing in the
merit of Messiah. A few days latter the doctors were astonished when
George’s legs were miraculous healed.
Friends, God still miraculous answers our prayers, as He did in days
long ago, if we only dare to prayerfully ask. As Yeshua said, "Ask, and
it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be
opened to you. "For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds,
and to him who knocks it will be opened (NKJ Matthew 7:7
No one has commented on this article. J! Reactions • General Site LicenseCopyright © 2006 S. A. DeCaro |
Learning 
