Prayer Works

Prayer

Prayer is spiritual nutrition. Just as the body needs physical food, so the soul needs spiritual food. Prayer changes us. However, the Bible goes much further than this. Prayer is powerful. It is, as Charles Haddon Spurgeon put it, ‘the slender nerve that moves the muscles of omnipotence.’ Prayer has the power to change circumstances, other people and even the course of history.

Prayer changes circumstances

Proverbs 15:21-30

God ‘closely attends to the prayers of God-loyal people’ (v.29, MSG). Your prayers can make a difference to what happens. ‘The Lord is far from the wicked but he hears the prayer of the righteous’ (v.29). According to the writer of Proverbs, righteousness means keeping ‘a straight course’ (v.21), listening to advice (v.22) and maintaining purity in our thoughts (v.26). It means responding to people with ‘prayerful answers’ (v.28, MSG). Through Jesus, all who believe ‘are righteous’ (Romans 3:22). Therefore, God hears your prayers.

Prayer and careful planning are not opposed to each other. As well as talking with God, it is wise to get advice from others: ‘Plans fail for lack of counsel but with many advisors they succeed’ (v.22).

You will bring blessing wherever you go: ‘The light in the eyes [of him whose heart is joyful] rejoices the hearts of others, and good news nourishes the bones’ (v.30, AMP).