When things don't go as well as I would hope (both from a personal and a ministry perspective) I tend to analyze and strategize. I will ask questions and dialogue with people that I trust to see what we might do differently to achieve greater impact and results. The problem with doing things this way is that it cuts God out of the equation far too much because I haven't spent the time in prayer.
I feel that I understand the power of prayer and truly believe that God hears us and answers us, but in practice my prayer life doesn't reflect that dedication enough. I feel safe enough to say that is probably the case for a lot of people. When we are in trouble or things start to fall apart around us we will certainly turn to God for solutions. How much different would our individual lives and God's church be if we faithfully petitioned Him each day for powerful things though? How much would our faith increase through that process of trusting and seeing answers? Are we willing to utilize the gift of prayer that He has given to us in the way that He intended for us to use it?
I see in Scripture that God is waiting to bless us and to use us here in mighty ways if we will only seek Him through prayer. I am challenged this morning to eagerly speak to God and to ask for His favor as we continue to move people closer to Him-and then to believe that those prayers will be answered.
"Nothing is more important to God than prayer in dealing with mankind. But is it likewise all-important to man to pray? Failure to pray is failure along the whole line of life. It is failure of duty, service and spiritual progress. God must help man by prayer. He who does not pray, therefore, robs himself of God's help and places God where he cannot help man. Man must pray to God if love for God is to exist." E.M. Bounds
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