The Power of Prayer / Raegan Wilson
Imagine hypothetically for a second how you would feel if you had to call and admit to your parents that you had been arrested. Most of us would probably be terrified of how they would react, right? The disappointment, punishment, and possible abandonment that may ensue could be too much to bear.
Now, what if instead of walking in and lashing out and refusing to help you in any way, your dad instead opens your cell door, steps inside, and says to the officer “I’ll deal with this, take me instead. I’m going to make it right, just let them go.” And you are freed in an instant at the expense of your dad. That is some pretty amazing love, right? We would be forever indebted to Him and striving to make his sacrifice worth it, because we were destined for punishment and he took it for us so we could go live freely.
You see, our lives are pretty similar to this situation, and our God already did this for us through His son Jesus. He sees our failures and mistakes and understands that we should be bound to an eternity in bondage to sin and Death. On our own, we are incapable of doing anything to redeem ourselves from our past actions. No good deed can make up for our sinful hearts. The only thing that can save us from death is the precious, Holy, marvelous name of Jesus. When face-to-face with the Lord on the day of judgement, the only option for redemption for our actions is our identity in and relationship with Jesus Christ himself (John 14:6). The price has already been paid by His brutal death on the cross. He DEFEATED death when the stone was rolled away, and Satan no longer has any power on anyone who calls upon the name of Jesus (Romans 10:13).
So why are we sometimes scared to cry out to Him for help in times like these? You may feel lonely or lost right now. I know this season especially has brought a lot of confusion for many of us. However, if we call ourselves Christians, this implies that we have a relationship with the Lord, and a normal relationship involves daily communication. If you are not communicating with Him daily, or if your relationship with Him just is not where it needs to be, then you need to ask yourself: why? Maybe you just do not have the desire a lot of times to intentionally pray- I know this one is a big one for a lot of Christians. In that case, remembering the truth of what He did for us and the weight of our own sins should spark an abundant passion to communicate with Him more.
However, maybe you have never established a relationship with Him in the first place. Maybe you are scared of rejection, or you are scared that you have gone so far that He has abandoned you. But, my friends, that is certainly a lie from Satan. I have seen it with my own eyes; we can NEVER go so far that His love will not save us. So, in that case, how do we start mending our relationship with our Creator?
It is a lot simpler than it seems, since Christ did all of the work for us. What we are called to do is be obedient to His commands. Simply ask for forgiveness, and it shall be given. Declare your faith that Jesus died on the cross for not just the "Christians who have it all together" (because surprise, they do not), but for you too- for the broken and the lost and the insecure and the flawed mess that the world tries to tell you that you are. Yes, He voluntarily died and rose again because He loves that flawed mess and desires to have a relationship with that flawed mess. So seek after Him as He seeks after you. Dive into the sweetest, most powerful and necessary relationship you can ever embark upon.
God already knows your sins. He has been by your side for every single one, yet still calls you forgiven as soon as you declare Jesus' name. Not because of anything that you can do, but because of what Jesus already did. Our salvation is dependent upon the sovereign work of God, not on how put together we can make ourselves appear. Identity in Jesus Christ alone is the abolishment of our slavery to sin. So come to Him just as you are; He has already forgiven you by the power of the name of Jesus.