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Written by Corinne Faneus, Ministry Coordinator at Iron Rose Sister Ministries

“Well, there is nothing left to do except pray.”
“Sorry, I can’t do anything else, but I’ll pray for you.”
“The least I can do is pray.”

And the prayer offered in faith will make the sick person well; the Lord will raise them up. If they have sinned, they will be forgiven. Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective. (Jas 5:15-16 NIV)

We read throughout the Scriptures multiple prayers that had incredible and powerful results—Hannah in 1 Samuel 2, Hezekiah in 2 Kings 19, and Elijah in 1 Kings 17 and 18. Prayer is shown countless times as the means by which we put our faith and trust in God as the means for God to fulfill His promises and plans in our lives. Yet, often unintentionally, with our own words, we take away the very power that prayer holds. Like the phrases above, we often minimize prayer as a last resort or as a small, almost insufficient service to those around us.

Prayer is one of the greatest gifts we have been given. That God allows and plans for our prayers to be how He is moved to action is amazing, confusing, wonderful, mysterious, and awe-inspiring. God’s hand is moved by the prayers of His creation.

If we know all this to be true about prayer, how can we be women who offer powerful and effective prayers? How can our prayers bear fruit?

It may sound cliché, but for our prayers to be powerful and effective, we must have faith in God— faith that our prayers serve a purpose, and faith that God is working through our prayers. We can often wonder, “What difference will our prayers make? If God is sovereign and has everything all planned out, what difference does it make to pray for a dear friend to be healed from sickness? Does it really matter if I pray for my unbelieving relative, if God’s will is going to be accomplished regardless?”

“Jesus replied, ‘Truly I tell you, if you have faith and do not doubt, not only can you do what was done to the fig tree, but also you can say to this mountain, ‘Go, throw yourself into the sea,’ and it will be done.’” (Mt 21:21)

Our prayers of faith make all the difference, not because we can change God’s plans, but because part of God’s plan is that we pray! We pray to bring about what God has planned. Do you trust and believe that your prayer is part of God’s sovereign plan? Do you believe that God has planned to act because of your prayer?

In James 5:17, we see James give an example of a righteous person’s powerful and effective prayer, “Elijah was a man with a nature like ours, and he prayed fervently that it might not rain, and for three years and six months it did not rain on the earth” (ESV). Being a spiritual superstar like Elijah is not what makes our prayers effective and powerful. James points out to us that Elijah was a man with a nature like ours; he was a normal human being who prayed. He was just a man who prayed fervently, and his prayers were answered. Normal average women like you and me have that same ability as Elijah because prayer is about God and not about us. Just like Elijah, we can be righteous by offering fervent, faith-filled prayers.

Ordinary women submitted to God can offer effective and powerful prayers because we pray to an extraordinary God.

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Written by Katie Forbess, Board President of Iron Rose Sister Ministries in Missouri

You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you so that you might go and bear fruit—fruit that will last—and so that whatever you ask in my name the Father will give you. (Jn 15:16 NIV)

Iron Rose Sister Ministries actively does things to help women by equipping and encouraging them to grow closer to God and one another, bearing fruit that will last, and hearing their prayers along the way.

Last year, the theme of “Practice like a Wise Woman” shook the ministry and blessed it in ways never imagined. Thankfully, we trusted and sought wisdom, and we truly moved in the ways we felt God calling us. Not perfectly, but faithfully. 

That Godly wisdom brought us this year’s theme of “Bear Fruit,” which will touch many parts of our lives and relationships. Personally, I have come to define bearing fruit as this: When I am living in such a way that I am connected to God, like a healthy vine to the branches, and I allow God to work through me, fruit is produced.

While remaining in the love of God, I believe part of bearing fruit is the fruit of the Spirit in me, and another part is the sharing of the truth of the gospel of Christ to someone in a way that they become capable of reproducing that gospel themselves. And all future fruit will go on to do the same. The fruit of more disciples will last long past my time here on earth, and long past the people who know me or will even know about me. This fruit is eternal, so it will last in heaven. In the end, I believe we will all feel connected to the same Vine and the same roots and truly be one in Christ. 

On a personal level, as I look at this year, I see there will be a lot of changes, such as a son who will be graduating and going to college, a daughter who could be engaged by the end of the year, and another daughter who plans to start driving by the end of the month. There are always changes. There will be ups and downs. Joys and sorrows. The real question is: Will I bear fruit that lasts during these times?

I’m reminded of Abraham, whom God told that his family would be as numerous as the stars. It took a few failed attempts on Abraham's part and a baby born many generations later to completely fulfill that promise. That baby grew up to make disciples, died for the sins of the world, and then arose, sending all His disciples to go out and make disciples.

The fruit that God is asking me to bear is only possible through this blessing of Abraham’s descendent, Jesus Christ. Abraham could never have known how eternal his fruit would be. The fruit we bear is under God’s control, as well. I may never truly understand what will happen with the fruit He has called me to bear. What a blessing to be part of something so much bigger!

How can we bear fruit that will last during this time in our lives?

How can we trust God with the eternal impact of the fruit we will bear in His name?