The social media memes often declare, “Prayer changes things.” I would not argue with that statement, but I have also discovered that some prayers change me. It is one thing to pray, “God please care for the poor and needy.” It is quite another thing to pray, “Lord, help me see the poor and needy through Your eyes.” It is easy to pray, “God, please do something about alcoholism and drug addiction in our town.” It is quite different to pray, “Father, help me make a difference in the life of my friend who wants to have victory over her alcohol addiction.”
I can still remember a specific challenge I received many years ago. The speaker was challenging church members and church leaders to consider ministry to unwed mothers and children who had very little spiritual influence in their lives. A lot was discussed that day, but one statement really touched me on a deep level. He said, “The world will never take the church seriously… until they see that we love children the way Jesus loved children.”
I thought to myself, “I love my two kids. I have a love and concern for the kids in our church. But I am certain that I do not love children the way Jesus loved children.” So, I began to pray differently about my own attitudes toward babies, children, and teenagers. It began to change me. No longer was children’s ministry a necessary obligation at the church. It was an opportunity to impact future generations. Even with my own two boys, I found I was making more time for touch football games in the back yard and coaching their Little League teams.
I am still certain that I do not love children the way Jesus loves children, but I think I can say that over the course of my life, I have been moving in that direction. It has changed me. I rejoice when a couple comes to me with the news that they are expecting a baby. I pray with greater sensitivity for the couple that struggles with infertility. I find greater joy in watching a toddler learn to walk. I even like teenagers! (Actually, I find that teenagers are some of my favorite people). I look forward to opportunities to mentor a young adult. I enjoy my own kids, their spouses, and those amazing grandchildren even more that I could imagine. The point is this—that one prayer has changed my life. In fact, my wife and I ended up with six children, became guardian to another, and now we have 15 grandchildren! (Be careful what you pray!)
A life-changing prayer is often the result of seeing a weakness in my own life. In the Gospel of Luke in chapter 18, Jesus told a parable of a Pharisee and a despised tax collector. The Pharisee prayed proudly as he thanked God that he was not like other men. He was not a sinner like other men who were immoral and unjust. In other words, the Pharisee was too proud to acknowledge his own weaknesses. The tax collector, however, saw his need for forgiveness and humbly prayed for God’s mercy. Jesus said the tax collector went down to his house justified, while the arrogant Pharisee did not. It was a prayer born out of weakness and it changed the tax collector’s life. It does the same for us.
A prayer that changes your life may be the result of a real burden for a specific need. In the Bible, the prophet Jeremiah had such a burden for the people of Israel during their time of captivity. Even when he was offered a life of freedom with all his needs met, Jeremiah chose to stay with those who were going into captivity because he knew they needed his ministry and encouragement. All around us we see people serving others, sometimes at great personal sacrifice, because a specific burden moved them to prayer. As a result of that kind of prayer, college students change their majors, some people change vocations, and others volunteer to help in a specific way. Such prayer is life-altering.
A life-changing prayer can also come from a loss of direction as we seek God’s path for our lives. I have become convinced that when life feels empty and directionless, God has brought me to a moment of tremendous potential. Even in those times of confusion, God is at work. As we seek Him in prayer, He begins to open our eyes to needs and opportunities that we would not see any other way.
A biblical example of that is the Apostle Paul as he begins his second missionary journey in Acts 16. Paul finds, that as he starts to follow his own plan of action, the doors of opportunity were closed. After much prayer, he has a breakthrough moment and it sets him on a new course he had not anticipated. As a result, the message of Christ was spread to another continent and began to impact the Roman world in ways no one could have predicted. That prayer for direction changed his life and the lives of many others. What incredible fulfillment and purpose comes to our lives as we seek God in those times when we feel lost and uncertain. It changes us.
God changes things through the prayers of His people. I believe that. But I also believe He changes me in the process. Prayer is such a valuable asset, yet it is too often neglected. It can truly be life-changing. To me the real blessing of prayer is not that God hears me, but that I can hear from Him. That, my friends, is life-changing.
David Frasure is the pastor of Calvary Baptist Church in Wilmington.
