I have not always valued the art of praying as a spiritual discipline – and the impact your prayers can make on someone else’s life.  Quite frankly, I still struggle with being a true prayer warrior; however, I am a product of someone (or a bunch of ‘someones’) prayer life.  So how can it be so easy for me to forget that prayer is one of my most powerful tools in fighting the enemy?  Author and speaker, John Ortberg struck a nerve with me when he stated, “Many people believe that their prayers won’t change God’s actions, so they ask themselves what the point is of praying.”  I am all too ready to credit my testimony as the product of prayer, but not my prayers, someone else’s. So often I am like the father in Mark 9 who cried out with tears, “Lord, I believe; help thou mine unbelief.” This father new where to take his requests, and, just like me, he had all faith that Christ could do anything but he lacked the faith to believe Jesus would do it for him. When I read “prayers of real human beings – like you and me – interrupt heaven,”

I was shaken down in my soul to think all of heaven pauses when a saint of God sends up prayers.

            Even though I have witnessed the miracle of God answering prayers, it is often the case we do not see immediate reversal of a bad situation. Many prayers seem to go unnoticed; we may never get to see the effects of our prayers this side of heaven, and honestly, maybe that is why I get discouraged.  Unfortunately, I am an instant gratification kind of girl, I let myself get frustrated way too easily when a prayer’s answer requires waiting. I hop on the pity wagon thinking my prayers are simply not as important as someone whose faith is stronger, their walk deeper or their love for God truer than mine.  I felt conviction as I pondered upon how easily I give up or walk away from a prayer because my flesh gets frustrated, or my thoughts wander from this to that. Nonetheless, I take comfort in knowing prayer is a learned discipline, and no one ever truly masters it this side of grace.  We none pray perfection, and thankfully, that is not what our Savior is looking for.  God desires me to pray my heart, and come to Him just as I am. Those wandering thoughts lead me to what God most wants to discuss with me.  Ortberg calls them “steppingstones to prayer,” I loved that. 

     Intercessory prayer is more important than we can imagine. But to worry with the details I cannot see happening on the other side of the prayer only steals joy from my prayer life.

God is in full control and He only wants me to pray what He has put in my heart to pray.  To know that He holds us in the palm of His hands is quite overwhelming to me, and so is the fact that He will place me on someone’s heart at 3 a.m. and they pray for me right then.  But the most awesome privilege I feel unworthy of is when He places some precious soul on my heart.

To know He is entrusting me with their prayer-need humbles me to tears.  I can only ask He guide me and grow me in this discipline, because it is one of great honor, and importance.

           There are multiple places in the scriptures where prayers were real, but one of my all-time favorites is found in (Matthew 15;20-26). The Syrophoenician woman modeled such an “impertinent, persistent, shameless, indecorous” prayer which should make a child of God take notice. When Jesus seemed to ignore her, she was wildly improper; and when He twice gave her reason to believe she may not receive help, she was persistent. With her final plea, “Truth Lord; yet the dogs eat the crumbs which fall from their master’s table,” she was shameless. She knew Christ was her hope, no matter what, and she would not let Him go.  I desire a relationship with my Lord like hers, one in which I will not let Him go. Where there is “much prayer there is much love.” Prayer is powerful. Let us be a praying people – our world needs us to be!