6 Reasons Prayer Changes Everything

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We are blessed to have a Father in heaven who we can always approach with confidence, especially when we’re in need of a miracle or blessing. The important thing to remember is that God hasn’t forgotten about you or abandoned you. The Bible tells us “The LORD Himself goes before you and will be with you; He will never leave you nor forsake you. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged” (Deuteronomy 31:8). God has also promised to answer every prayer according to His marvelous grace, His infinite powerful, and in keeping with His infinite love and faithfulness. Our attitude should be one of implicit confidence that He is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to His power that is at work within us. Too often, we neglect to ask God for miracles in our lives, and end up settling for less than God’s best for us. The truth is, we can always approach God with confidence if we trust in His Son, Jesus Christ. We also know that prayer has incredible power to change things. Here are six reasons prayer changes everything.

It Changes Us From the Inside Out

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Prayer is a powerful tool for communicating with our Heavenly Father. It is an opportunity to become one with the Creator and Giver of all things. Prayer helps us to find strength for today and hope for our future. We should actively pray and trust in its power to change our circumstances for good. Your faith life directly correlates to the quality of your prayer life. Prayer has the power to change not only the people and things around you. Prayer also has the power to change you from the inside out. When you’re in need of strength, remember that God is the number one healer and can guide you in endless ways. If your heart and life are centered on God, His Word and His Holy Spirit, you can rest assured that He will direct your path.

It Builds Up Our Faith

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Many of us are facing impossible situations where we need a breakthrough in our lives. Yet, most of us sit and wait for God to make it happen, and then we wonder why it is that we don’t experience breakthrough as often or as fast as we’d like. What we need to know is that breakthrough is not something we sit around and wait for. Breakthrough is God waiting on us to respond in obedience to what He has already commanded and already promised. Breakthrough happens when we pray and trust God’s outcome. Breakthrough happens when we say that we are going to trust that God is going to supernaturally do what is impossible. God does the breakthrough, but He’s waiting for us to take that first step of faith. We have to believe in God’s goodness, that God has already willed the breakthrough for our life.

We Get to Know God Better

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Praying that God will unleash the presence of the Holy Spirit in your life has enormous power. Jesus placed great emphasis on the Holy Spirit. He actually told the disciples it was better for them that He leaves so they might receive the Spirit. The Bible tells us, “Nevertheless, I tell you the truth: It is expedient for you that I go away” (John 16:7). Even in His resurrected body, Jesus can only be in one place at a time. His Spirit, however, can be everywhere. This is why Jesus said His departure is to our advantage. He wants all men and women to experience a relationship with Him through the omnipresence of the Holy Spirit. And this benefit is just the top of the iceberg. The Bible also tells us, “For I do not go away, the Counselor will not come to you. But if I go, I will send Him to you” (John 16:7). Here, Jesus refers to the Holy Spirit as the Helper. By trusting in the power of the Holy Spirit, you are getting to know God on earth. The Spirit is the expression of God’s inner nature.

We Learn How to Listen

It’s easy to talk and present our requests to God, but it’s a lot harder to listen to what God is telling us. Truly listening to God is an art that requires training and discipline. This happens through prayer. It’s very difficult to hear God’s voice when we are listening to every other voice besides His. The writer of Hebrews tells us that we can train our ears to recognize the voice of God above all the noise. “But solid food belongs to those who are full of age, that is, those who by reason of use have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil” (Hebrews 5:14). When we practice, by reason of use, we are able to discern whether what we hear is of God, our flesh, or the Enemy. It’s important that we hear the Holy Spirit and recognize the ways He is speaking and working through us. Jesus said, “He who has ears [to hear], let him be listening and let him consider and perceive and comprehend by hearing” (Matthew 13:9). Pray that God will give you a hearing heart to listen and to obey.

It Builds Patience

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Listening to God requires patience and praying to God builds patience. Some days, it is a lot harder to be patient. When we’re bringing our concerns to the Lord again and again, we grow tired of waiting. It soon begins to feel like our prayers are falling on deaf ears. Often our desire is to take control and just “do the best we can;” it is our fleshly reaction to the silence. We know Galatians 5 lists patience as a fruit of the Holy Spirit, so we confess our desire to rule our own lives. We ask the Spirit to fill us, empowering and directing us even as we continue to wait on the Lord. We receive this strength by being filled with the Spirit and trusting in God’s promises. As Christians, we know that the ultimate source of patience lives within us. Our role is to trust that the Holy Spirit does live within us, and ask Him for strength to persevere in whatever situation we find ourselves in.

It Helps Us Surrender

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When pray to God, we surrender ourselves to Him. When you surrender your life to God, you are following His lead without knowing where He’s sending you. You’re waiting on God’s timing without knowing when it will come. You’re expecting a miracle without knowing what God will provide. You’re also trusting God’s purpose without understanding the circumstances. You know you’re surrendered to God when you rely on God to work things out instead of trying to manipulate others, force your agenda and control a situation. This is when you’re truly letting go and letting God handle everything. You don’t have to always be in charge. Instead of trying harder, you trust more. You also know you’re surrendered when you don’t react to criticism and rush to defend yourself. Surrendered hearts show up best in relationships. You are not self-serving. You don’t edge others out, and you don’t demand your rights. You trust in God to work through those relationships.