One prayer can change everything

It was because Elijah prayed that it didn’t rain for three years.

It was because Joshua prayed that the sun stood still during battle.

It was because Daniel prayed that the mouths of lions were closed.

It was because Hannah prayed that her baby boy was finally in her arms.

It was because Esther prayed that a nation was delivered.

It was because these mighty men and women did the one thing they could do that changed their life forever in a way they knew they never would be able to.

What is it they did?

They got on their knees.

Because they understood that sometimes all it takes is some time in the presence of their Almighty God to change the outcome of their story.

They understood that prayer is the difference between life and death.

Between bondage and deliverance.

Between victory and defeat.

And when life brought them to their knees they weren’t worried because they knew that there was no better place for them to be.

I love this quote by R.A. Torrey-

“The reason why many fail in battle is because they wait until the hour of battle. The reason why others succeed is because they have gained their victory on their knees long before the battle came. Anticipate your battles; fight them on your knees before temptation comes, and you will always have victory.”

If we are weak when we are facing temptation it’s not because our enemy is so strong but because we neglect to spend time in our prayer closets.

If we feel hopeless during our trials it may be because we’ve forgotten to spend time with the One who specializes in getting His children through hopeless situations and making them stronger because of it.

If we feel tired and burdened from the load we must carry each day maybe it’s because in the midst of all of our running around we never stopped to cast those cares off our shoulders and in front of the feet of Christ.

Maybe the problem in our life isn’t so much the hard situation we find ourselves in today but rather the fact that we never take the time to kneel before the One who is bigger than any situation we are facing.

“One of the best gifts we can give ourselves is time alone with God.”- Joyce Meyer

Life is so much better when we give ourselves the greatest gift possible: time with God.

It’s a privilege that is not denied to anybody.

When I was a little girl I thought only special people got to have a real relationship with God.

People who were perfect, righteous, and holy.

Like the missionary who dedicated his life to serving the lost and broken in third world countries.

Or the pastor up on stage who could recite Bible passages from his memory.

Maybe even my parents who seemed to have it all figured out in life.

But definitely not me.

I was just a young girl with absolutely no significance.

Not much to offer to the world.

Full of mischief, selfishness, and too many mistakes to count.

What would God Almighty, the creator of the universe want to have to do with me?

So I prayed to Him in the morning, at bedtime, and before meal.

Out of duty to the celestial Being far out in the distance to whom I owed my life.

Wondering if He actually heard the prayers of an insignificant little girl like me.

And I’d go to church and listen to the preachers and missionaries share about their intimate walk with Christ and I’d think about how lucky they were to have such a close connection with Him.

I couldn’t even imagine the possibility of me having the same thing.

Until one day everything changed.

It was the day a preacher was speaking  a message on prayer and he told us that God wanted a relationship with each one of us.

That prayer wasn’t something you do at church on Sunday and every day before bedtime and meals.

Prayer was sharing everything that’s on your heart with your Father in Heaven.

It’s running to Jesus when you are excited and when you are in need.

It’s living every day with purpose as you walk side by side with Him.

And all of a sudden I realized the truth that had never been so clear to me as it became on that day.

God wasn’t just for special people who travelled the world to spread the gospel or for the ones who spoke into a microphone on stage to hundreds of people.

He was for everyone.

Including me.

And that’s when it all changed for me.

Jesus was no longer just a celestial Being up in the sky somewhere that I had to remember to pray to every day.

No, He was my closest friend.

And every night there was nothing I looked forward to more than spending time with Him.

I created a (literal) prayer closet that I’d stay up late into the night praying in.

I would take morning walks before school and talk to Him.

I would turn up worship music for hours in my sisters car and poured my heart out to Him.

Because I understood for the first time in my life that I had the biggest privilege in this life: to spend time with the One who created me.

And I knew it was only by facing each morning with Him and ending every night with Him that I’d make it through life.

I knew that I would navigate whatever path life me took me on just fine as long as I never stopped getting on my knees.

The beautiful thing about prayer is that there is no right or wrong way to do it, just like there is no right or wrong way to hang out with your best friend.

There are no rules of what you should say.

No position you need to sit in, stand, or kneel.

You just come before God and pray.

And once you do… that’s where God lovingly steps in.

He gives us the strength to face the day.

He opens doors of opportunity for us.

He answers our long-awaited for prayers and needs.

He heals the sick and comforts the brokenhearted.

He breaks the chains of addiction.

And He gives brand new faith and courage for the next step He is asking you to take.

Tonight… remember that the most powerful place you can be in is not sitting in front of the president, a celebrity, or your greatest hero – but kneeling in front of the One and only God who created you  and gives you eyes to see and lungs to breathe.

Never underestimate the power of prayer.

Because sometimes all it takes is just one prayer to change everything.

It can change you present moment, your impossible situation, and your destiny.

It was prayer that forever changed the history for Elijah, Joshua, Daniel, Hannah, and Esther.

And it can be your prayer that makes the difference where you will end up tomorrow and in eternity.

Be blessed and don’t forget to spend some time in your prayer closet with God today. -Anna… ♥

And this is the confidence that we have toward him, that if we ask anything according to his will he hears us.- 1 John 5:14