Prayer matters. It changes lives. It makes a difference whether or not we pray.

One scripture that speaks this truth so clearly to me is the passage with Jesus in the garden of Gethsemane. As Jesus was preparing to enter a terrible time he asked his closest friends–Peter, John and James–to watch and pray.

Matt 26:38, 41 – “Then Jesus went with his followers to a place called Gethsemane. He said to them, “My heart is full of sorrow, to the point of death. Stay here and watch with me…Stay awake and pray for strength against temptation. The spirit wants to do what is right, but the body is weak.”

I’ve often wondered how things might have been different had the 3 disciples prayed instead of slept. Perhaps Peter would never have denied knowing the Lord. Maybe they would have been more of a support to him when he needed them the most.

How would our lives change if we prayed more? Sure, we’re busy and tired and stressed. There’s a lot on our plates. Prayer is not easy. It wouldn’t have been easy for these disciples either. But the Lord challenged them to pray. He knew the value of prayer and the difference makes.

How’s your prayer life? Do you spend time daily with the Lord? Or are you allowing the business of life to swallow up you prayer time?

Prayer not only makes a difference, it makes the difference. It changes perspectives. It empowers us. It changes lives. It gives us strength. It matters. Watch and pray.

We have access to all the grace we need to meet whatever challenges we may face. We don’t need to wait for it, hope for it or even pray for it. We need to step out in it.

It’s available to us now.

“His divine power has given us everything we need for a godly life through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness.” 2 Peter 1:3

Matt. 19:26

“And looking at them Jesus said to them, ‘with people this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.”

Anyone who knows me knows how important prayer is in my life. Our prayers do matter. Whether or not we pray makes a difference, not just in our lives but often in the lives of countless others.

That said, it’s all about God. As powerful as our prayers are, it’s about him. Who is God? Either he is or he isn’t: He can or he can’t. He’s able or he’s not.

And guess what! He is. He’s able to not only answer our prayers, but to do more than we could ever ask or even imagine.

When we understand this, we can pray with confidence and assurance knowing that God is God. He is at work.

He is enough. His grace is enough. Our God is enough.

Luke 17: 5 The apostles said to the Lord, “Increase our faith!”

He replied, “If you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mulberry tree, ‘Be uprooted and planted in the sea,’ and it will obey you.

“Increase my faith”. I have prayed that more times than I can count. “Help me to believe you for this.” “Help me to believe you for that.” But when should we stop asking and start stepping out in the faith we already have? The answer is now. You and I have enough faith at this moment to do exactly what Jesus has called us to do.

When the disciples asked for their faith to increase, basically Jesus told them to step out in the faith they already had. He told them they could actually change the course of nature if they believed it would be done.

What are you praying for? Or maybe a better question is “What are you lacking the faith to pray for?” What or who needs a touch of God in your life? You’ve been given everything you need to reach out and touch that person; that situation; that mulberry tree.

Let’s stop asking and start acting.

Jesus asked the blind man on the road to Jericho, “What do you want me to do for you?”

Wasn’t it obvious? The man was blind! Still, Jesus wanted this blind beggar to express his specific needs to the Lord.

What needs to you have? What burdens are you carrying? Your shoulders were never made to carry that load: His were.

Express your needs to the Lord. Ask him.

“What do you want me to do for you?”

Only GOD can, but God CAN!