The promise of prayer

When you see something that’s happening, something wrong, out of your control, or completely powerless to change, it’s so frustrating, and you feel so helpless.

With the terrorism, the atrocities, the calamities going on around the world today, not to mention the trials that each one of us faces in our own lives, you could be tempted to think that God, if He exists at all, has seriously lost the plot.

And you could be seriously tempted into thinking that even if God hasn’t fallen off His twig, there’s simply nothing you can do to make things better.

Then you hear some joker like me get up and say, “Well, you could pray, you know.” And you think to yourself, “That’s a pretty lame response. Right, I could pray. So what? What difference is my prayer going to make?” 

Well, this is how Jesus put it, in a statement that’s worth repeating:

“Stay joined together with me and follow my teachings. If you do this, you can ask for anything you want, and it will be given to you” (John 15:7 ERV). 

Anything! That’s a pretty sweeping promise. Not from me, but the King of kings and the Lord of lords.

So, let me leave you with this one thought today.

If, in any situation or circumstance, you are completely powerless to do anything other than pray, then through your prayer, you have just done the single-most-powerful thing you could ever do.

Just chew on that for a bit and pray about whatever is bothering you. Because even if you had the power to change that one thing, your prayer is still the single-most-powerful thing you can ever do.

Life application questions

• How do you feel when you read the news or look around at conflicts, natural disasters, and other prominent issues in our world? Are you stressed out, anxious, or even angry?


• What about the significant personal issues we all face from time to time, like relationship struggles, health concerns, or financial difficulties. How do you respond when these big problems arise?


• Do you believe Jesus’ words in John 15:7? Deep down, in your heart of hearts, do you believe Him?


• Spend some time in prayer now, in a raw, real, relational encounter with your Heavenly Father. Ask Him to fill your heart with His Spirit; ask Him to show you the power of prayer as your relationship grows deeper and stronger.

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