How Prayer Changes Things

We’ve all been in situations where we’ve prayed to God for a solution or a specific outcome. We’ve all been in a confusing place or maybe even a state of gratitude. Either way, we’ve all expressed a prayer. When you prayed, did it change the outcome of your situation? I know in my experience it has because prayer changes things. 

What is prayer?

Prayer in the Bible is an evolving means of interacting with God, most frequently through a spontaneous, individual, unorganized form of petitioning and/or thanking. Prayer isn’t just about asking God for stuff, but it’s our way of communicating with Him throughout our lives. When you think of a friendship or marriage, there’s meaningful conversations to be had. This adds value to the relationship. When we pray to God, it acts as the same thing. 

In John 15:15, it says “…But I call you my most intimate friends, for I reveal to you everything that I’ve heard from my Father.” He’s showing us the relationship craves depth, we need conversation. The only way the LORD can reveal to us the things he’s heard from the Father is simply through prayer. You have to learn to position yourself to hear and to pray not just for the things we desire but for an actual understanding of who Christ is. 

How To Pray?

As i’ve grown in my faith walk since i was 17, i’ve come to realize the significance in prayer. In fact, my step-mother brought me in as a newly converted teenager, and taught me how to pray. It’s really awkward at first, because you feel like you’re talking to no one. I assure you, that you are speaking to the God who created the Universe. If you don’t know how to pray or can’t find the words, try looking at Matthew 6:9-13  as the perfect example.

9 Pray like this:“Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name. 10 Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. 11 Give us this day our daily bread, 12 and forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. 13 And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.’14

How Prayer Changes Things?

I’ve seen a quote that says “One little prayer can change one HUGE situation.” This is the ultimate truth , but you might be asking How? A Lot of times we pray about our loved ones medical conditions, bad attitudes or maybe they are going down the wrong path. We come to our wits end with people and situations. Let’s say we’re desperate for an outcome. 

Mark 11:24 Jesus tells his disciples this “Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours.And whenever you stand praying, forgive, if you have anything against anyone, so that your Father also who is in heaven may forgive you your trespasses.”

When we pray, we should ask God and then believe with Faith that’s it’s completed by the good work Jesus paid on the Cross. We have this access because He died and rose for our sins. We are his friends, so we can simply just ASK.

Prayer is about Consistency

As a personal testimony, I’ve seen how prayer changes things. As a 17 year old newbie believer, I prayed for my mother’s drug addiction. And for years, I never stopped praying. I didn’t give up after that first prayer.  I pressed on. I prayed until something happened. Then one day, my prayer changed a situation. My mother was free from addiction and wanted nothing to do with it. He answered my prayer and I’m forever grateful for that. 

Pray Big Prayers

Don’t be afraid to pray big prayers. God has given the tools we need to access him in prayer. He desires for us to commune with him in this way. If there is a situation in your life that you feel you are too small for, I implore you to bring it to God and ask him for the direction. He’s there and He’s waiting to speak back to you. Continue to pray big prayers and see how great and awesome God is. 

I want to invite anyone who is need of prayer for a huge situation or maybe it’s something small. Whatever it is, please comment or send me an email at [email protected]

Check out Cokesbury for more resources on prayer!