“Prayer turns ordinary mortals into men of power. It brings power. It brings fire. It brings rain. It brings life. It brings God.” - Samuel Chadwick
Luke 9:28 We read about an exceptional event in the Bible, the transfiguration of Jesus. He went up on a mountain with three of His Inner core of His disciples to pray. ‘As He prayed’ His true Glory blazed outwards with great brilliance. This manifestation of Glory happened not while he was healing the sick or while doing any miracles but this external transformation happened while He was praying. We should never underestimate the power of prayer. Prayer can bring the power of heaven down to earth; it can unlock the storehouses of God’s infinite grace and power. Jesus lived His life in constant communion with the Heavenly Father. We read ‘He often withdrew to lonely places and prayed’. He received great things from the Father in prayer. He would send the multitudes and disciples away to spend time with the Father. A thought struck me while I was reading the passage on Transfiguration, that Jesus might have experienced the glorious presence of Heavenly Father, like on the mountain every time He prayed. In the OT, the Glory of God was reflected on Moses’ face after dwelling in the presence of the Lord. Lord spoke to him face to face as a man speaks to his friend. The glory on His face shone so brightly that the people were afraid and Moses had to put a veil. Similarly, when we spend time with the Lord in prayer, a similar internal transformation can happen if we completely surrender to the Holy Spirit to do his work in us. One among the three disciples chosen was Peter, who had the spiritual revelation of Christ even before he was a witness of the Glory of God. (Luke 9:20).
Peter writes in his second epistle that he was an eyewitness of ‘His Majesty’. Transformation of Jesus on the mountain was much more than His own transformation. It was also about transformation of His disciples. They saw a glimpse of Christ’s future glory. When we are confronted with his glory we are transformed by it. We are ‘being transformed ‘into the same image of Christ from one degree of glory to another (2 Cor 3:18). This is a continuous and progressive process, possible only with the help of Holy Spirit. We should grow up in all things into Him who is the head- Christ. This process continues till Christ appears in Glory, when we shall see Him as he is and we shall be like Him (1 John 3:2). So let us pray for a complete transformation in all aspects of our life. He who kneels before God can stand before anyone. Prayer can move mountains, It can lock and unlock the clouds, it can make the Sun stand still. Prayer can do wonders because Great is our God who hears our prayers. Let’s cling to Him and trust His timing, for He who promised is Faithful!