Have you ever struggled to pray? I have. When my dad was diagnosed with cancer, I prayed for his healing, but when he died, praying became a struggle. What I learned through that experience changed my life. It turned my eyes to how Jesus taught his disciples to pray and to Daniel, where we learn why the answer to prayers can take time. Let’s unlock the power of prayer together!
Katie Hauck Ministries
Day 1
Scriptures: Mark 9:23-25, 2 Corinthians 1:3-5, Hebrews 4:15-16, 1 Thessalonians 5:17
Prayer has been something that I have personally struggled with for many years. I often say my favorite person in the Bible is the man who says, “I believe; help my unbelief.” I believe in prayer. I believe in salvation. I believe in God’s blessings and promises, but sometimes, I struggle to believe He hears my prayers and desires to answer me.
This struggle started for me several years ago when my dad was diagnosed with cancer. I was still a young believer (I didn’t meet Jesus until I was about 27 years old). Ironically, I had recently done a study on healing. I thought I understood it. I just knew that my dad would be healed.
When he passed away exactly three months later, I struggled with that. I know we live in a broken world; I understand sowing and reaping, but why? Did God not hear my prayers? Why didn’t He answer me? For a while, it was difficult to pray at all.
One day, I turned on Christian radio, and a little boy was being interviewed. He told about a time when he lived on a farm, and one of his cows had a baby. He carried the calf around and took care of it because it had been born small and young. Still, the calf ended up passing away.
The little boy cried out to God. “Why did this have to happen?” God reached down and comforted him, saying, “You won’t always understand my ways. You don’t get to know why I allow the things that I do, but I know exactly how you’re feeling because my son died too. I know the pain, the grief, and the anger. I know what you’re going through, and I’m here for you.”
We serve a God who knows what we’ve been through. That’s who Jesus Christ is. He came to this earth and went through the same things that we go through so that we don’t have a high priest who doesn’t understand. He had a father in Heaven who allowed it and had to watch it happen. He knows your pain, and He knows your grief, and He wants to walk through that with you.
Just Pray!
Pray even when you don’t understand, even when you’re angry, even when you’re upset, even when everything is not going as you thought. God says He will comfort us through our prayers. Just trust Him, cry out to Him, and pray to Him regardless of what’s going on around you.
Day 2
Scriptures: Matthew 6:9-13, Hebrews 11:6, Psalms 29:2, 1 John 5:14, Jeremiah 29:12
But how do we even pray? What do we say? Jesus taught his disciples exactly how they should pray. As we talk to God, let’s think about one of the most famous prayers in the Scriptures and learn from Jesus Himself.
Our Father which art in heaven.
This is about faith. Without this, our prayers are useless. We need to trust that we have a Father and that He’s in heaven. That takes faith, and we need to begin every prayer with faith. Hebrews 11:6 says, “Without faith, it is impossible to please God.”
Hallowed be thy name.
This is worship. Sometimes we just tell God all the things that we want out of life. Instead, let’s start our prayers with, “I have faith in you, God, and I know that you are good.” Psalm 29:2 tells us, “Give to the Lord the glory due unto His name.” This is a great way to start your prayer.
Thy kingdom come.
This is a heart of expectation. We are allowed to expect that God is going to answer our prayers. That’s the kind of relationship with Him that we have. When I was a child, I expected my parents to feed, clothe, protect, and provide for me. It’s okay to expect that from our heavenly Father, who loves us much more than our earthly parents ever could.
Thy will be done.
This is submission. We’re saying, “God, here are my requests. I expect that they’ll be done, but I submit to your will.” Even Jesus submitted to the will of the Father when He prayed in the Garden of Gethsemane.
Give us this day our daily bread.
This is a petition. Now, God knows our needs, but He wants us to ask. In fact, the Bible tells us to ask repeatedly. Don’t give up, but keep asking. Jeremiah 29:12 says, “Then you call on me and come to pray, and I will listen to you.” Don’t you love all these promises God gives us in His word?
Forgive us our trespasses.
This is a confession, asking for forgiveness. That’s an important part of prayer. 1 John 1:9 says, “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.” It’s beautiful to be intimate, open, and transparent with the Lord, even though He already knows. He desires to hear it from you.
Lead us not into temptation.
This is dependence. We are telling God that we need Him. We need Him to lead us; we need Him to guide us. Without Him, we will fail. Psalm 121:1-2 is such a beautiful verse that says, “Where does my help come from? My help comes from the Lord, maker of heaven and Earth.”
Thine is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever and ever.
This is acknowledgment. This is a great way to end a prayer. Let’s honor God and just praise His holy name as we end our prayer.
Today, as you have conversations with God, think about the Lord’s Prayer and how it can frame your prayer life.
Day 3
Scriptures: Luke 18:1, 1 Thessalonians 5:16-17, Daniel 9, Daniel 10
Once you start praying, don’t stop. Daniel is a great example of this.
When Daniel was 85 to 90 years old, he had a dream. The dream was very vivid, and it left Daniel troubled, sad, and depressed about what was going to happen. He went into mourning, so he began to pray and fast for 21 days.
I don’t know if you’ve ever fasted, but 21 days is a long time. I can imagine that Daniel felt like he was about to give up after a while. He wanted to understand this dream. He’d prayed and asked God for revelation. I’m sure in his mind he felt like God was not answering him. Maybe he felt like God just didn’t care.
I don’t know if you’ve ever done that: prayed and prayed and prayed and prayed and yet didn’t get an answer. Have you ever said, “God, why aren’t you helping me? God, why aren’t you solving this? What is taking so long?” I know that I have.
I have asked God those very questions. Maybe for you, it’s someone’s salvation. Maybe it’s healing. Maybe it’s for your finances. I’m not sure, but I think Daniel felt that very way.
Then we get to chapter 10.
It’s so glorious. Chapter 10 tells us that an angel appears before Daniel and says, “I’m here to help you.” Daniel replies, “I’ve been praying for 21 days.”
The angel says, “Since the first day you prayed, God heard your words and sent me. Since the moment you opened your mouth, God said, ‘Go,’ and I came, and I started on my way. But there were battles that I had to fight to get here. There is so much going on spiritually that you cannot see.” (This is my paraphrased version. Please read this passage yourself.)
We know the Bible tells us that we do not fight battles against flesh and blood but against spiritual forces. Those spiritual forces were so great that this angel who came to Daniel needed help from other angels just to get through the spiritual battle to reach Daniel.
The enemy wanted Daniel to give up. He wanted Daniel to think that God wasn’t listening. But the Bible tells us that the moment Daniel opened his mouth, God sent the angel his way. My friends, that is true for you as well.
I don’t know what you’re praying for. It may seem like it’s taken a long time, but you don’t know what’s going on in the spiritual realm. You don’t know the size of the battles that sometimes have to be fought before you can get your answer. Don’t stop praying! There are angels fighting on your behalf. When you pray, God says, “Go!”
Keep praying. Don’t give up! Unlock the power of prayer.
I pray that this plan has made you think of something new about the power of prayer. You can explore more resources like this at Katie Hauck Ministries.