If you are anything like me, there are things that happen in our lives and in the lives of others that greatly trouble us. We feel helpless to do anything about many situations. We wonder if we can make a difference. We spend countless hours thinking about what to do. We wish we could do something!

The last few days have had me expressing my thoughts with a lot of tears. As I look at the world’s hurt, it is too much for me. Today it is Haiti and Afghanistan. Tomorrow it will be something else. The world is broken and always hurting. As I am here in a relatively free country, I am aware of how blessed I am. I get to go to bed in comfort and even though I do go with a heavy heart, I am getting to sleep without fear of tomorrow. All I can do is pray and cry. I know that there are those that don’t even have any more tears to cry. So how can my prayers be enough? Yet if I believe God’s Word, my perspective is very wrong. Prayer is doing something. Prayer is doing the best thing. This doesn’t take away that the Lord does give us a responsibility to show love in practical ways but prayer needs to be the starting and ending point of the equation.

There are too many problems too big for me to handle that I must leave in the hands of Jesus. When I feel that I am doing nothing I must remember that prayer is everything.

It is not possible for me to be at all places at all times. But there is someone who can.
Proverbs 15:3 tells us that the eyes of the Lord are everywhere, watching both evil and good. There is nothing hidden from God. He is present in the hurt of his children. He is with those that need him and is not afraid of the evil before him.

I can’t reach everyone and touch them. I know someone who can. Isaiah 59:1 is true.
The Lord’s arm is long enough from everywhere. He can save. His ear is hearing. He is not only hearing my prayers on behalf of others, he is also hearing their cries. He is hearing all of us and there is power in that. I don’t have the power that is needed to save. I know someone who does. I realize that in order to touch others, I need to touch Jesus. In order to reach others where they are, I need to get to Jesus.

There are too many problems too big for me to handle that I must leave in the hands of Jesus.
When I feel that I am doing nothing I must remember that prayer is everything. James tells us in chapter 5 that the prayers of a righteous person has great power. Me praying is moving God’s power. I don’t have physical power but I can have spiritual power just going to Jesus. James reminds us that the answer that is needed to help someone who is suffering- is prayer. In verse 13 he asks “Is anyone among your suffering? Let him pray.”

When I feel helpless, I can rest in the comfort that when the righteous cry for help, God’s ears hear, receive my prayers and bring deliverance. David reminds us of that truth in Psalm 34. We serve a God greater than our giants. There are people in their physical reality, fighting really big, evil giants. They are fighting a war that no person will ever win-WITHOUT GOD! They are in too much trouble for us not to pray. May we do as 1 Thessalonians 5:17 instructs us to do, on their behalf so that they have a way out and the world will see the glory of God do the miraculous. “Pray without ceasing.” It is more important than anything we could ever do.

May our prayers open our eyes and those who desperately need to see -to the great army that God has unleashed to fight for us. May we see, be as sure as Elisha and be able to say, “Do not be afraid, for those who are with us are more than those who are with them.” Although our hearts can be heavy, may we remember that the only way that we won’t lose heart is to always pray. Luke 18:1 tell us, “We ought always to pray and not lose heart.” We have to pray as if everything depended on it- because it does! Prayer is everything.