Mark 9:29 - Thoughts on Prayer

"He replied, “This kind can come out only by prayer.”" (Mark 9:29, NIV)

A coworker told me about the bumper sticker on her husband's car which reads, "If you don't pray in my school, I won't think in your church."

While this may be considered to be clever or offensive, it does highlight something that I often take for granted. Whether the writer of the phrase knows it or not, he is highlighting the power of prayer.

I actually think it amusing to consider the fact that self proclaimed atheists, who claim there is no God, get so upset about someone praying. If there is no God, what is the harm is sending words into the cosmos? How is the atheist damaged by meaningless expression? I think that atheists fear prayer because there is a part of them which feels that there might be something to it.

So, as a believer, the challenge is to give prayer its proper place in my life. Prayer is feared because it is powerful. Prayer is effective because it is God's will for me to pray.

And, oh by the way, we can pray and the atheists will never know that we are doing it. If you really want to mess with their atheism, pray that they acknowledge Jesus as Lord. Someday they might thank you for it.