This past Thursday was the National Day of Prayer. This was the 75th anniversary of the observance. The 2026 theme was “Glorify God Among the Nations, Seeking Him in All Generations,” based on a verse from 1 Chronicles: “Tell of His glory among the nations, His wonderful deeds among all the peoples” (1 Chronicles 16:24 NASB). This is a great verse, and it prompted some thoughts in me that I want to share with you.
I want you to know that I believe in prayer.
But I also believe that many good prayers are not answered. It is not because God didn’t hear them or care about them. It’s not that God was incapable.
It is because the one who prayed didn’t do anything besides pray.
I believe that too often we view prayer as delegating things to God. We ask Him for good things, things He surely would want to do. But nothing happens.
James tells us, “Just as the body is dead without breath, so also faith is dead without good works” (James 2:26 NLT). That means the greatest prayers, prayers with which God would agree, will not happen without our participation. Genuine faith cannot be effective without our willingness to be part of the answer.
Jesus tells us that we must pray in faith. He also instructed us to pray, “Your Kingdom come, your will be done on earth as it is in heaven.” His first disciples understood that praying in faith that God’s Kingdom would come and His will would be done necessitated us being His hands and feet, stepping into our roles as co-workers with God. When we pray, we act as "workers together with God" (1 Corinthians 3:9). Our faith changes us from spectators to active partners in His divine plan. Prayer is not merely the faith to ask for needs, but the faith to align our will with His and then work with Him to build His church and bring about His Kingdom.
We cannot do God's work alone, and He chooses to work through our prayers of faith. In our prayers we offer our willingness to be used, and He provides power, grace, and resources.
Prayer is not a pause in work; it is not simply “turning it over to God and leaving it there.” It is turning ourselves over to God to be part of the answer. Prayer is the most critical work, aligning us with God’s will.
So, prayer without faith is dead. Prayers without opening our hearts to work with God are ineffective.
Whatever you are praying for today, rest assured – you AND your prayers are part of the answer
And without your willingness to become personally involved, your prayer is dead.