12 Truly, truly, I say to you, he who believes in Me, the works that I do, he will do also; and greater works than these he will do; because I go to the Father. 13 Whatever you ask in My name, that will I do, so that the Father may be glorified in the Son. 14 If you ask Me anything in My name, I will do it. John 14:12-14 (NASB)
Prayer is a mystery my brethren. Anyone who claims to be a master of it is someone who has been deceived or is a deceiver. We do not know exactly how prayer works, but we do know that God uses it. Does some outcome depend upon you or I praying for it?… No, it depends upon the sovereignty of God. However, God still uses prayer. Our role in this is to obey Him and pray knowing full well that God is sovereign and that He will be glorified in and through the circumstance and love for His children. On the other hand, there are so many in our time who twist wonderful passages like Philippians 4:13, “I can do all things through him who strengthens me,” bending its meaning to say, “I can do anything I want because Christ gives me the strength.” However, context of that passage is about contentment through the fires of tribulation as Paul was given the strength to do what God commanded of him. Others turn to this and other passages like it to prove their “self-image” teaching and their “Christian success-motivation” philosophies. These are polar opposite from the true meaning of these passages. They are nothing but examples of humanistic arrogance with a Christian label pasted on it. Our trust and confidence must never lie in “self,” but only in Christ.