God works through prayer

British poet Alfred Lord Tennyson (1809-1892) said, “More things are wrought by prayer than this world dreams of.” This is an accurate statement about prayer. God works through prayer. And prayer works with God. 

Heartfelt prayer means complete reliance on the God of the Scriptures who says, “Now to him who is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think, according to the power at work within us” (Ephesians 3:20). God is able to exceed our prayer requests in ways we could not imagine.

Someone said “little prayer, little blessing; much prayer, much blessing.” Prayer is all about God and not about us. Didn’t God declare: “Call to me and I will answer you, and will tell you great and hidden things that you have not known” (Jeremiah 33:3). This is one of the many great reasons why Christians should always be inspired to pray. 

Many books have been written on the subject of prayer, and the Scriptures teach much about prayer. When we can’t find time to pray, we must make or take the time to pray. We easily take the time to talk and have conversations about a variety of non-essential things.

A. W. Tozer said. “The man who would truly know God must give time to Him.” One of the great things about prayer is that we can pray anywhere at any time—whether audible or inaudible. God has created the ability to do so.  

Prayer provides the means to ‘draw near’ to Almighty God’s holy and divine presence. “Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you” (James 4:8). Remember, God is still on His throne and He’s always accessible. 

“Pray without ceasing” (1 Thessalonians 5:17) doesn’t mean praying non-stop. It means praying on a regular basis. For example, the average person has breakfast, lunch, and dinner each day. In a similar way we can plan our prayer times and stick to it. It may not be possible or convenient every day because of circumstances. But it helps to recognize the importance of prayer.

David had great confidence in the kindness and compassion of God. Hence he appeals to God, “Incline your ear, O LORD, and answer me, for I am poor and needy. Preserve my life, for I am godly; save your servant, who trusts in you—you are my God. Be gracious to me, O Lord, for to you do I cry all the day” (Psalm 86:1-3). 

Here’s a suggestion about praying. No one knows what can happen during a day. Therefore,  start each day with prayer, and grasp opportunities to pray. At night, thank God for His help and blessings during the day. Then commit yourself to Him for rest, protection, and preservation, during the night.

Prayer is the Christian’s godly exercise. When there’s hesitancy and reluctance to pray, ask God to create in you the ongoing desire to pray. John Wesley said, “God does nothing but in answer to prayer.” If we fervently love God with an obedient and pure heart, there will always be a desire to confidently go to the Throne of Grace.

Prayer is the best and greatest weapon the Christian has. It means having power with God. No believer should underestimate the tremendous power of which prayer is capable. Consider the apostle Peter’s miraculous escape from prison. The Bible says, “So Peter was kept in prison, but earnest prayer for him was made to God by the church” (Acts 12:5-17). Upon his release from prison, Peter admitted, “Now I am sure that the Lord has sent his angel and rescued me from the hand of Herod” (Acts 12:11). 

In our prayers, we come to God the Father through God the Son and are prompted by God the Holy Spirit. It is the Holy Spirit who comes to help us according to the will of God. 

The Holy Spirit is the Christian’s “indwelling intercessor.” Romans 8:26,27 says, “Likewise the Spirit helps us in our weakness. For we do not know what to pray for as we ought, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words. And he who searches hearts knows what is the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints according to the will of God.”