I’ll admit it: I often underestimate the power of prayer.
When a tough situation comes up that I have no control over, I get upset that “all I can do” is pray, when in reality, prayer is the most powerful weapon we have against the brokenness in our world. Certainly we should take action when opportunity allows, but prayer should be our first priority.
This evening, my family said goodbye to an elderly family member over the phone. This side of my family hasn’t accepted Jesus, and at this point, it feels hopeless. What’s the point in praying for them when they are reaching the end of their lives? What can Jesus do when they can’t even talk or move anymore?
But something I must remind myself is that we should never underestimate the power of prayer. Jesus can do anything, right? Even turn a hopeless situation around.
But when things don’t go the way we pray, it’s easy to lose faith that prayer even works.
Jesus doesn’t promise us that our prayers will be answered the way we hoped, but He does promise that it will make a difference. Every prayer counts, even when it’s our last resort.
To our last breath, Jesus pursues us. If you are being faced with an impossible situation or a person you feel tired of praying for, remember that your efforts are helping. The Holy Spirit intercedes for us so that God hears our every prayer. He listens to us no matter what.
It’s never too late to pray. We never truly know all that Jesus is doing in the hearts of those we love. Remember: He loves them even more than we ever could. ❤
In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us through wordless groans. And he who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for God’s people in accordance with the will of God.
Romans 8:26-27
The Will to Wake Up 