Godly Examples of Prayer - All The LORD is near Daily Devotionals for 2025

The effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much.
James 5:16

Godly Examples of Prayer
There are wonderful examples in Scripture of the power of prayer. Nothing seems to be too great, too hard, or too difficult for prayer to do. It has obtained things that seemed impossible and out of reach. It has won victories over fire, air, earth, and water. Prayer opened the Red Sea. Prayer brought water from the rock and bread from heaven. Prayer made the sun stand still. Prayer brought fire from the sky on Elijah's sacrifice. Prayer turned the counsel of Ahithophel into foolishness. Prayer overthrew the army of Sennacherib. Well said Mary Queen of Scots, "I fear John Knox's prayers more than an army of ten thousand men." Prayer has healed the sick. Prayer has raised the dead.

Prayer, pains, and faith can do anything. Nothing seems impossible when a man has the Spirit of adoption. "Let me alone," is the remarkable saying of God to Moses, when Moses was about to intercede for the children of Israel . The Chaldee version has it "Stop praying." So long as Abraham asked mercy for Sodom, the Lord went on giving. He never ceased to give till Abraham ceased to pray (Gen. 18:22-33).

What more can a man want to lead him to take any step in religion than the things I have just told him about prayer? What more could be done to make the path to the mercy-seat easy, and to remove all occasions of stumbling from the sinner's way? Surely if even demons had such a door set open before them they would leap for gladness, and make the very pit ring with joy. But where will the man hide his head at last who neglects such glorious encouragements? What could possibly be said for the man who dies without prayer? God forbid that any reader of this paper should be that man.

J. C. Ryle