How Prayer Changes More Than Your Circumstances
Do you ever ask people, " How often do you pray?" In recent times, it has become increasingly obvious to me that most people, even church-going people, don't really pray that much. Now I'm not really including the short prayer at meals. I'm talking about stopping what we are doing, or finding a quiet place, and just sitting and praying. I started doing this at least twice a day, once to start my day and once at the end of the day. I noticed over a short period of time that my heart was more peaceful, I was more focused, and I felt 100% like I could hear God's Holy Spirit REMINDING me, or speaking to me more clearly. As time went on, I felt an increase in discernment, my ability to see what was good for me and what wasn't. I am a firm believer that prayer and time with God in His word are absolutely essential to building a solid relationship with Christ. It's a known fact that only 10% of Christians ages 18 to 37 pray daily, while 37% of those over 50 do. If you buy a new grill for the summer and it comes with a lot of gadgets, pieces to assemble that are part of the grill, you'll read the instructions; you'll make sure all the pieces are in place, correctly assembled, because you want that grill to work properly, and you want to make sure you know how to use it.
Why in the world would we as Christians, believers in Christ, not want to know in detail what God has to say about literally everything, every life situation you will ever encounter, it's all there in His word. Prayer is what links that to us, and us to Him. His word gives us everything we need to understand His desires for us, and when we encounter life, and we all do every single day, we can apply His teaching directly to our lives. This is the day the Lord has made; I will rejoice and be glad in it. I love God, He loves me, and He is telling me to be thankful on this day, to rejoice, and I'm going to do that. I'm going to see the glass half full, pursue the half-full mentality through Christ, and watch what begins to happen over time. It doesn't mean everything automatically turns great, or there will be no problems, but it changes everything.
Now take that one step further, and begin applying prayer, listening, and speaking with God daily, multiple times a day, and now we are really on to something. Our hearts begin to fill up with calmness and peace. We start hearing scripture in our heads as we walk through life. We start to see things differently, and our approach slowly shifts from 'I have to do this or figure this out' to 'Lord, help me with this, guide me, lead me.' Lord, what would you have me do? Lastly, begin to become more aware of whether you are asking God for things or seeking His will. This is a little tougher because often what we want is not necessarily what God wants for us, especially at some given time in our lives. It's difficult; there is a pull on us to want what we think is best. However, He always knows what is best, wants us to succeed, to prosper, but it is imperative that we seek what He desires. I know what it's like to seek my desire, to actually hear God trying to warn me, and not yield to His will. I will tell you firsthand, it has been nothing short of a disaster each and every time. I have learned the hard way that we serve a very patient God, a loving, kind, forgiving, grace-filled God that wants to bless us. He is, though, also a JUST god, and does not enjoy when we rebel against His will.
Prayer, prayer frequently, His Word, reading it, studying it frequently, and yielding, asking for God's will, what does He want for me? He will tell you.
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Dion Welton is the author of five books, including Are WE Really Forgiven, and the Baggage we Carry. He is the founder and publisher of the publication Hope is Now, one of the fastest-growing faith-based encouragement publications in the country. You can learn more about Dion at dionwelton.com
Originally published June 08, 2026.
