My friend and I were talking this afternoon about the power of prayer. She’s overcome a breast cancer diagnosis and expressed her appreciation for all the kind people who remembered her in their prayers. “People prayed for me and I didn’t even know their names,” she remarked. I told her I always prayed for parents who lost a child. I don’t know them but I know the painful path they are beginning to walk and I pray for them to find some peace on their journey back from darkness into God’s circle of sunshine.

I truly believe prayers saved my oldest grandson when he suffered through an illness of acute disseminated encephalomyelitis. So many, many heartfelt prayers were spoken for him. “The prayer of a righteous person has great power as it is working,” James 5:16. Prayers are powerful. God listens when we speak our prayers. I also know God wants us to have enough faith to believe in our prayers, too. In John 14:13-14, God says, “You may ask me for anything in my name, and I will do it. If you believe, you will receive whatever you ask for in prayer.” Answers to our prayers might not be what we want to hear but in time we come to appreciate God’s wisdom and his plans for our lives.

When we communicate with God through our prayers, we confess our sins and he brings us peace, taking the burdens off our shoulders. We grow spiritually through our prayers and strengthen our faith as we worship with God. God wants us to come to him with our prayers and he always listens. Daily prayers bless us and our families and bring peace in troubling times. Scripture in Matthew 7:7 reads, “Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you.”

We can show our families and friends our love by praying for them each day. I was reading collections of prayer today and this short prayer for family and friends was one of my favorites.

“Dear God, thank you for always blessing me with the people in my life. When I am down, they are always there to lift me up. I know that you make your holy presence known in my life through them. I am never alone, because you are here with me through my loved ones. With so much gratitude in my heart, I offer you this prayer for family and friends in thanks. Thank you for showing me that love and care can be found anywhere, especially in the people in our lives, because I can now share my knowledge with those around me. Amen.” — christian.net

“Prayer is the song of the heart. It reaches the ear of God even if it is mingled with the cry and tumult of a thousand men.” — Khalil Gibran