Does Prayer Matter More Than We Realize?
The start of a new year naturally invites reflection.
We look at what was, what needs to change, and what we hope might be different moving forward. We evaluate our habits, our health, our finances, and our direction. And for many of us, there’s an underlying question beneath all of it: How do I actually become more like Jesus this year?
This week’s message challenged us to consider one intentional shift that has the power to shape everything else — becoming people of prayer.
When Effort Feels Futile
Many of us are familiar with the feeling of powerlessness. We want to see change in ourselves, in our relationships, and even in the world around us — but our efforts often feel limited. Over time, that can lead to quiet resignation: “It is what it is.”
But Scripture tells a different story. The kingdom of God is not stagnant — it is advancing. And if the kingdom is moving forward, then those who belong to it are meant to move as well.
Prayer is not passive acceptance.
Prayer is participation.
Jesus Ordered His Life Around Prayer
If prayer were optional, Jesus would not have practiced it the way He did. Yet Scripture shows Him withdrawing often to pray, praying before major decisions, before miracles, in moments of anguish, and in seasons of transition.
Prayer was not something Jesus fit into His schedule.
Prayer was the place where His schedule was formed.
It’s no wonder the disciples didn’t ask Jesus how to preach or perform miracles — they asked, “Lord, teach us to pray.” They recognized that something powerful happened when Jesus prayed.
Prayer Enforces God’s Will on Earth
When Jesus taught His disciples to pray, He instructed them to ask for God’s kingdom to come and His will to be done on earth as it is in heaven. This wasn’t symbolic language — it was an invitation to alignment.
Prayer is how heaven’s reality is invited into earth’s resistance.
Scripture suggests that some things don’t shift because they haven’t been prayed through. Prayer doesn’t inform God — it partners with Him.
We Join an Ongoing Heavenly Reality
One of the most encouraging truths from this message is that prayer is not something we start — it’s something we join.
Jesus intercedes for us.
The Holy Spirit intercedes within us.
Heaven itself is active in prayer.
When we pray, we are stepping into a living, ongoing work — aligning our hearts with what God is already doing.
Understanding Resistance
The message revealed two spiritual realities prayer engages:
The courtroom of heaven, where accusations, shame, and hindrances are addressed through repentance and the finished work of Jesus.
The battlefield of earth, where God’s purposes face resistance and require perseverance.
Sometimes delay is not denial. Sometimes resistance is not rejection. And without understanding this, it’s easy to grow weary and stop praying too soon.
But Scripture invites us to persist — not striving, but trusting.
A Call Into a Year of Prayer
Prayer doesn’t always produce instant results, but it always deepens relationship, strengthens faith, and advances God’s purposes. Not one prayer is wasted.
As we begin this year, the invitation is clear:
to become a people who pray consistently, courageously, and persistently — trusting that God is at work even when we cannot yet see it.
Because when we pray, heaven responds.
Why do you think prayer is both essential and easily neglected at the same time?
What stood out to you about the way Jesus ordered His life around prayer?
How does understanding prayer as “joining” what heaven is already doing change your perspective?
The sermon talked about resistance in both the courtroom and the battlefield. Which one resonated more with your own experience, and why?
What might it look like for you to grow as a person of prayer this year in a practical, sustainable way?