Why Does Prayer Work?

"If Christians spent as much time praying as they do grumbling, they would soon have nothing to grumble about." - Anonymous.

“You must not have prayed hard enough!”

Matthew 21:18–22 NIV

Early in the morning, as Jesus was on his way back to the city, he was hungry. Seeing a fig tree by the road, he went up to it but found nothing on it except leaves. Then he said to it, “May you never bear fruit again!” Immediately the tree withered. When the disciples saw this, they were amazed. “How did the fig tree wither so quickly?” they asked. Jesus replied, “Truly I tell you, if you have faith and do not doubt, not only can you do what was done to the fig tree, but also you can say to this mountain, ‘Go, throw yourself into the sea,’ and it will be done. If you believe, you will receive whatever you ask for in prayer.”

Faith is Why Prayer Works

James 1:6–7 NIV

But when you ask, you must believe and not doubt, because the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind. That person should not expect to receive anything from the Lord.

The Holy Spirit is Why Prayer Works

Romans 8:26–27 NIV

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.

Application Step: Make an appointment on your calendar each day to spend 10 minutes in prayer but during that prayer time all I want you to do is sit in silence and listen for the conversation that is going on between the Holy Spirit and God on your behalf.