“The earnest prayer of a righteous person has great power and produces wonderful results.” James 5:16 NLT

God honors prayers offered in faith. He is well pleased when we believe that He will answer our prayers. Faith can move mountains, and faith is the only currency accepted in the Kingdom of God.

My mother has always been a role model to me in prayer. She prays in all seasons and in every circumstance. I am continually amazed by her unwavering faith, and I have seen God answer her prayers—even when situations seemed impossible in the eyes of man.

One such incident from my childhood was both surreal and supernatural, and it strengthened my faith as a new believer in Jesus Christ.

Summers in the southern parts of India are extremely hot. Especially in the city where we lived, temperatures could average around 105°F, sometimes even higher. During those seasons, the metropolitan city could easily fall into drought, and many places would face severe water shortages—even for daily needs.

When this happened, families either bought water from tanker trucks—if they could afford it—or stood in long lines at public bore pumps to fill pots and containers to carry back home.

During one such summer, our private well completely dried up. Water tankers were busy supplying large apartment buildings across the city, and we could not find anyone to deliver water to us. Even if we could, the cost had become extremely high because of the demand.

By that time, we had already started piling up dirty clothes and dishes, trying to save the little water we had left for our most basic needs. That night, we ran out of every single drop of water.

My mother quietly went outside and placed all our large containers and cisterns in the yard. She also gathered the piles of dirty clothes and placed them in the backyard, ready to be washed—even though there was no water available, not even enough to flush the toilets.We teased and mocked her. We joked among ourselves, saying that we should refrain from using the toilet and that we would soon have to walk to the public borewell to fetch water.

As always, my mother went to her time of prayer. She did not pray only during crises—we often saw her praying late at night, early in the morning, in the afternoon, and in the evening. There was no fixed schedule for her prayer life; she simply prayed continually.

In the middle of the night, I suddenly woke up to the sound of thunder while everyone else was fast asleep. I got up to see what was happening, and to my surprise, I saw heavy rain pouring down. My mother was outside in the rain, joyfully washing the piles of dirty clothes by hand.

She saw me and quickly said, “Quick! Bring everything that needs to be washed!”She looked so happy even while laboring in the rain. With great joy she said, “The Lord heard my prayer!” She was deeply grateful that God had answered by sending down rain.

Soon the entire household woke up in the middle of the night. We all joined her, washing clothes and cleaning dishes in the rain.We filled every pot, jar, and container we had. Even more astonishing, our well began filling with water again. That rain literally helped us survive that season of drought and gave us relief from the intense heat.

We all looked at our mother in awe. We had witnessed a prayer of faith being answered. I also realized that she never neglected her prayer life or her reading of the Bible.

In those days, when technology was not advanced enough to predict weather easily, a woman of faith already knew what her God was capable of doing.

The Bible encourages us to trust God like a child and to believe in what we ask for so that we may see the glory of God.Things do not have to be perfect for God to perform a miracle. He can make a way where there seems to be no way. Every impossible situation becomes possible when God is on your side.

He is the God who can make streams in the wilderness, rescue from the fire, and open doors that no one can shut.

With that confidence, ask in the name of Jesus Christ and you shall receive. Knock, and it shall be given to you—exceedingly and abundantly more than you can ask or even imagine.

Prayer

Heavenly Father, thank You for reminding us that You hear the prayers of Your children. Teach us to seek You continually and to believe that You are able to do far more than we ask or imagine. May our lives reflect the power of prayer and the glory of Your name.

In Jesus’ name, Amen.