Acts 12:5
Peter therefore was kept in prison: but prayer was made without ceasing of the church unto God for him.

Prayer can change our circumstances. Peter was in prison, but prayer was made, and he walked out of that prison. Paul was on a ship in a storm, but prayer was made, and everyone aboard made it to dry land. A woman lie dead in her house, but prayer was made, and she lived again. And in our own lives, perhaps we can find a moment, an impossible situation, a dire circumstance where prayer was made and a need was met, a miracle occurred, God intervened.

Sometimes a simple prayer is enough: “God save me, a sinner.” Because when we say that and we mean it, God immediately steps in and changes our circumstances. A hell-bound soul changes course for glory. Blind eyes are open. A dead man lives. But sometimes we have to toil in prayer. We have to agonize over something in prayer. We have to wrestle with God in prayer. Sometimes it takes work. It takes hours on our knees with our hearts wide open and searching and seeking. Sometimes it takes continual prayer, constantly pleading, begging God to work, begging God to move, begging God to intervene.

Prayer can change our circumstances with a “yes” from God—we get that job, we recover from that illness, that loved one gets saved, that financial need is met. But prayer also changes our circumstances with a “no” from God. We don’t get what we desperately want. We don’t get what we’ve asked for. We don’t receive what we think will make our lives better. But prayer isn’t always about the outcome. Sometimes it’s about the process and what we learn about God and ourselves through it.

No matter what situation we find ourselves in, let’s pray about it without ceasing. We may receive what we ask for or we may not. But let’s keep praying and seeking God in prayer to know Him better and to know His will for us. He knows what we need before we even ask, but He wants us to come to Him anyway. He wants us to trust Him to do what’s best. He wants us to express ourselves to Him. He wants us to discover the intimacy that is in prayer whether we get the answer we seek or not. So let us continue to pray with faith behind our prayers, expecting God to work.