The Power of One

Thisweek we will observe as we usually do the National Day of Prayer by attending agathering in our community. A message I heard there years ago has continued to resonatewith me and I thought I’d revisit it today hoping to also bring encouragementto someone else.

Thespeaker noted that in our culture we tend to believe that (I think have thisphrase verbatim): “More is powerful; less is worse; big is important; and smallis insignificant.”

Andyes, we do. It’s all about more and big in about every arena.

Ourspeaker’s wife had recently worked in Philadelphia, visited Independence Hall and sent him a picture of the room in which the Declaration of Independence wasdrafted, the “most important document of freedom” ever conceived. He noticed howsmall the room was and quoted Elizabeth Barrett Browning, “Earth's crammed withheaven, and every common bush afire with God; But only he who sees, takes offhis shoes…”

Ithought of Ann Voskamp who has written how we should give thanks for the little thingswhich magnifies our experience of God and His grace.

As an adolescent our speaker questioned a Sunday Schoolteacher about the meaning of “The fervent prayer of a righteous man availsmuch.”

Theteacher said, “It means your prayers matter.”

Right there was his point. One person’s prayers matter. Even when we don’t feellike they do. Even when we don’t see immediate results, the prayer of oneperson when offered from a heart turned to God can work much.

So,when we pray for the big stuff, like “God please turn a country back to you,”we can feel our prayers small. But they aren’t. “The prayer of a person livingright with God is something powerful to be reckoned with (James 5:16 TheMessage).

Asour speaker said, it’s easy to slip into thinking, ““More is powerful; less isworse; big is important; and small is insignificant.”

Butone person’s prayers matter.

Letthose prayers be yours.

 

Beverly Varnado's most recent book is In Search of the Painted Bunting, a middle grade historical from Elk Lake Publishing, #1 in new releases in its category. She is also the author of several small town romances from Anaiah Press including her latest, A Season for Everything. All are available at Amazon. To explore the web version of One Ringing Bell, please visit bev-oneringingbell.blogspot.comTo sign up for her newsletter, go to http://eepurl.com/dHNdsX Beverly Varnado copyright 2023