Tim Morrow

Growing up in church my entire life, prayer was important. Well, I’d say that sentence is understating the obvious! 

One statement I heard often as a kid and into my adult life was, “prayer changes things.” As a Christian and a pastor I’ve wondered over the years what exactly we mean by that statement. Perhaps you have heard the same phrase in your life and also asked the meaning and implication of “prayer changes things.” I’m certainly not going to answer the entirety of the meaning here. I will share one answer to the question. I have come to understand this in regards to prayer and it “changing things,” the thing that needs changed most is me. Often our prayer life is asking God for things. Now, there is certainly nothing wrong with that. Scripture clearly teaches us we can ask, just not selfishly. (Matthew 6:11; Philippians 4:6) 

I’ve come to realize over the years that one of the main reasons for me praying to God is to cause my will to come in line with his will. God “changing” my attitude, my affections, and my will is a central reason to pray to God as a Christian. In fact, in the “Lord’s Prayer” in Matthew 6, the Lord Jesus Christ instructs us to ask for God’s “will” to be done even before we are to ask for “bread.”

My point is, when you as a Christ-follower spend time in prayer, remember a definite purpose in those moments. We are asking God more than anything to change us. To change our hearts to go from our “will” to his “will.” This includes the times when we are asking God for answers, direction, desires, etc. When we ask God, he sometimes answers with yes, sometimes no and sometimes wait. But when a primary goal in prayer is to align my will with God’s will, then any of the answers he gives I am thankful for.   

“Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.” Matthew 6:10 

(Tim Morrow is pastor of New Life church)