Casandra Martin

It came as a quiet, hurried phone call. “Please pray. Pray right now.” The tension in my friend’s voice was obvious. Stress was fracturing peace. The jagged pieces of broken hearts were shredding joy. Tears flowed with such ferocity that it made it difficult to breathe. Drowning in a sea of desperation and despair, my friend sent up an SOS – please pray.

My heart jumped into my throat even as I fell to my knees. I prayed. I prayed hard. I struggled with a desire to do more than pray. I wanted to help, ease the pain, find a solution, or open a closed door. Anything to heal the situation in which I heard my friend’s heart breaking.

Walking through these days of prayer, God reminded me of a precious truth. Prayer is the first, best gift we can give to those we love. There is nothing more powerful than inviting God into the circumstances that challenge us. There is no better answer than asking the Lord to move in the ways He knows are best.

God stands in the middle of our homes, workplaces, friendships, and churches. He knows our struggles, sees our tears, understands our fears, and witnesses our worries. Prayer asks God to unleash His power, unfold His purpose, and unveil His presence in our days. It pleads with Him to take what we cannot control, and bring it under His sovereignty and into His light.

My Jesus Resolution today is engage the power of prayer. Prayer’s potency doesn’t flow from our words, our faith, or our timing. The power of prayer is rooted in the power of God to intervene in our lives. Prayer acknowledges our dependence and deep need for grace. It speaks a profound truth into our hearts that God is able enough, faithful enough, loving enough, and mighty enough to change what seems to be unchangeable, answer what appears unanswerable, and move the seemingly immoveable. Prayer changes things because prayer changes people. Starting with me.