Confess your faults one to another, and pray one for another, that ye may be healed.
The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much.
~James 5:16

Prayer is an incredibly powerful thing. It can generate hope and healing. Around 17 years ago I was in an accident and injured my back. I spent a week in bed while friends brought food and cared for the two children we had at the time. On Sunday morning my husband left for church. I lay in bed and cried, frightened for the future and what my life could become.

During that service, when those dear saints were praying for me, I felt a change. The pain lessened enough that I had hope, and eventually there was full healing. How radically different my life would be if my back hadn’t been able to cope with the six pregnancies in my future.

There was a period in our young married life when my husband and I were full of needs and questions, but no answers or sense of the direction we should take. Helpless, we laid it absolutely and completely before God, in a manner beyond that which I’ve experienced before or since. The blessings that followed were exceeding abundantly above all thought we asked or thought.

Sometimes you may not be able to physically help someone because of the constraints of time or space and think “at least I can pray.” Don’t discount its power: prayer may the most effective way you can help.

Do you have a story of the power of prayer that you’d like to share?

Please visit the other ladies participating in 31 Days of Ministry Online at A Woman Inspired:

• Amy Bayliss – 31 Days of Heart Matters
• Karin – 31 Days of Intentional Parenting
• Jen – 31 Days of Social Media
• Lisa Boyd – 31 Days of WordPress
• Karen Lewis – 31 Days of Praise
• A Martha Heart – 31 Days of Prayer

Links to all posts in this series, by topic, can be found here.