Maybe deep down, you're not even sure prayer changes
anything at all. And if that's you, can I just say -you are not alone.But today I want us to consider this a little differently. The purpose of this is not to guilt us into praying. It's to inspire us with what's actually happening when we pray—and so, what may not be happening when we don't pray.
So let's begin with this question: Do you really understand what's happening when you pray? What is prayer actually doing? Why does it matter?
Well, Scripture tells us some powerful truths.
[You are reading a transcript. You can listen to this episode on the Faith & Soul Care Podcast - here or on your favorite podcast app:]
When you pray, you're receiving from God. Jesus said in Matthew 7:7-8, “Ask and it will be given to you.” But if we don’t ask, we don’t receive.
And hold on to that thought for a minute - I'm going to go through the rest of the list, and then I’m coming back to that verse because it’s a verse that stumps a lot of people.
When you pray, your prayers rise to heaven. In Revelation 5, it gives an example of the prayers rising to heaven to the saints as golden bowls of incense before the throne.
Your voice is not just lost up in the clouds. It is heard by the Lord and His angels.
But if you're not praying, your requests are not flowing up with all the others. Your voice isn’t in there.
Did you know your prayers are able to activate heavenly help in the unseen?
In Daniel 10, there’s a very specific example: Daniel prayed, and an angel was dispatched-actually two of them - Michael and another angel. They were dispatched in response to his prayer.
It took a while, though. And when the angel finally reached Daniel, he explained that he was delayed because the prince of Persia had resisted him - there was warfare in the spiritual realm from the time Daniel prayed until the angel was able to intercede.
When we pray, our prayers allow our spiritual eyes and ears to be opened.
In Psalm 119:18, it says, “Open my eyes that I may behold wondrous things.” And Ephesians 1:18 talks about the eyes of our hearts being enlightened.
When we skip our prayer time, we may just be skipping out on so many little daily spiritual joys.
And then finally, here’s one of my favorites: Romans 8:26 says that even when we don't know what to pray, the Holy Spirit intercedes for us with groans too deep for words.
If we aren't praying and asking the Holy Spirit to intercede for us at times -wow -we are missing out on that help.
Do you know that one of the most common prayers in the Bible is when a person prays for the Lord to go before them and protect them from all sorts of possible things that may be coming in the future?
I regularly pray and ask the Holy Spirit to go before me - before any sickness, life difficulty, or person that may want to take advantage of me or be deceptive toward me.
I pray that the Holy Spirit would go before me and protect me from anything I don’t absolutely have to endure - unless it’s something necessary for my growth or lessons.
You can pray for that same protection. And boy, do we know how wonderful that protection can be.
But you've got to pray it.
And if you aren't praying it, you may be missing some of that protection. Because the truth is - God doesn’t just swoop in and strongly assist those who aren’t asking Him for it.
Think about the life of Jesus. He walked all through the towns. Who did He heal and help? The ones who came to Him believing that He could heal.
Skipping prayer is like stepping into a battlefield without armor.
And let’s be honest - we are on the battlefield every single day, whether we recognize it or not.
There’s mental warfare, emotional exhaustion, lies from the enemy, pressure from the world. The armor of God in Ephesians 6 - it’s put on through prayer.
So I want to ask you: if prayer is our lifeline to strength, insight, protection, and peace, why would we skip it?
Think about the appointments you keep - your job, doctor, dentist, getting your kids where they need to go.
If you miss those appointments, there are typically very clear consequences: you might get a late fee, lose your job, or miss the early signs of an infection.
But these prayer appointments and spiritual appointments - they’re easier to dismiss because the consequences aren’t always immediate or visible.
But they are just as real.
So when we don’t pray, we don’t receive what God wants to give us that day.
Let me come back to that illustration.
This is my little interpretation, my illustration. It’s not necessarily perfectly scriptural—it's meant to motivate.
But let me share an image that helps me understand the “You have not because you ask not” verse that Jesus taught.
I imagine that in heaven there’s a massive, almost never-ending, radiant golden file cabinet- rows and rows, endless drawers.
And one of those drawers has my name on it. One of those drawers has your name on it.
It’s like your personal life file. And it’s filled with all the potential possibilities for your life.
Now, inside that drawer, there are some must-happens.
There are things that will happen—God has set them for you. And as you follow Him, you will need to have these experiences to grow in the way God needs you to grow.
So there are musts. There are people you’re meant to meet. There are lessons you’re meant to learn. There are purposes you’re meant to fulfill.
But also in your file drawer, there are many possibilities.
There are blessings, open doors, healing, provision, wisdom. And all those things are available by prayer.
And I believe when you pray, it’s as if God lovingly checks your file drawer.
He pulls it open—He or one of His angels checks the requests you’ve brought to Him.
Not like a harsh gatekeeper—but like a wise and loving Father.
He sees and understands every angle of your request. He sees your whole life story—the past, the present, the future.
He knows your unique purpose. He also knows how your life and your requests intersect—or will intersect—with all the people your life touches.
Your family. Your co-workers. The woman at the grocery store you don’t even know you’re going to talk to next week.
And if what you're asking Him fits within His musts—His good and sovereign plan—if it aligns with your spiritual growth and your calling and your timing, and it also aligns with the ripple effects—then yes, He’s likely going to say yes.
He may still choose a time for that yes—it may be now, it may be later. But that yes was waiting for you in your golden file drawer, ready to be received.
But only activated by your prayer.
And that’s what I think James meant when he wrote, “You do not have because you do not ask God.”
We don’t pray, so we don’t receive—not because God is withholding, but because we’ve left unopened gifts.
Some of them tangible gifts. Some of them spiritual gifts. They’re sitting in our file drawer.
Now of course, not everything we ask for is granted. Much of prayer remains a mystery.
This is only just a little image I use to help us understand. It doesn’t explain the whole mystery of prayer and God’s will and how God receives and answers our prayer.
We’ll never fully understand how it all works this side of heaven.
But I hope that this little illustration encourages you.
What if you started praying about everything—big or small—simply because you didn’t want to leave any of those opportunities untouched or unreceived?
So let’s sum this up.
When we don’t pray, we may not receive what God wants to give us that day.
We may not be a part of that incense that rises to heaven. Our voice may not be among those prayers rising to the ears of God.
When we don’t pray, we may not be opening our spiritual eyes to what’s happening around us.
And when we don’t pray, I believe we definitely miss out on the Holy Spirit praying and interceding for us—and protecting us from things we don’t even know we’ll face.
We may miss avoiding future battles that are waiting for us right around the corner.
When we don’t pray, we may forfeit the wisdom and guidance that could keep us from a wrong decision—or lead us into a new opportunity.
And here’s another thing: prayer has compounding benefits.
When we regularly skip prayer, we miss those compounding benefits.
Skipping prayer is like skipping regular deposits into a savings account. You may not notice the loss today, but ten years from now—the difference could be profound.
Because prayer is a spiritual deposit that multiplies—accumulating peace, strength, clarity, and closeness with God—compounding over all the days and years of your life.
So here’s what I want to ask: do you have a set time for prayer each day?
If not, I invite you to start. Even just five minutes of an authentic prayer to shift you toward God again.
You don’t have to have polished words.
And if you don’t know where to start, I invite you to listen or watch. I have a video teaching I recently did in my private Facebook group called Four Effective Methods of Prayer.
It’s also on YouTube as an unlisted video. The link is in the show notes and in the blog post.
It’s a longer teaching—just over 50 minutes. But you can listen on 1.5x speed and get it in about 34 minutes.
Pull out a notepad and take notes. There are four effective methods of prayer.
And it’s not really a choice—the idea is to incorporate all of them. But if you start with one, start with the foundational four-step method.
And with that, I will close in prayer.
Dear Lord,
We thank you that you are always near, that every prayer is heard, and that when we come to you, we are met with your mercy, your grace, your wisdom, and your love.
Lord, I pray for every person listening right now, that they would be stirred with a new and greater motivation to pray.
That they would accept your invitation and see it as your invitation—not as an obligation—but rather as an invitation to come closer to you and to receive from you.
Please remind them of what they gain when they come to you. And if they’ve been neglecting prayer, let them begin again today—coming before you with your huge welcome.
Coming before you with hope and not with shame. And with joy, not with pressure.
In Jesus’ name I pray, Amen.
Gratefully,
Sherry
More Resources:
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New! Prayer and Reflection Journal I Designed! I love how the journal turned out! It has all I need for prayer tracking and reflections and re-setting my mind with struggles I am facing.
If you would like to learn simple, practical ways to walk with God every single day, then you would really enjoy Closer to God: Simple Methods, Starting Today
If you need motivation to eat healthier or lose weight while also growing closer to God, then you would enjoy Weight Loss for Christians, An Extraordinarily Simple Way to Conquer Cravings
If you want to learn more deeply and fully about what Jesus taught, then you would enjoy Words of Jesus - Bible Study on Christ's Teachings
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