We are too busy to pray, and so we are too busy to have power.  We have a great deal of activity, but we accomplish little; many services but few conversions; much machinery but few results.  R. A. Torrey quoted in Forgotten Power by David Butts.

Prayer is hard work because it requires humility.  True prayer requires us to admit that we are incapable of making the changes that need to be made.  We must realize that we cannot advance God’s Kingdom through our efforts.  There’s the rub.  We think we can.  We feel like we must.  Our egos cry out to be needed – necessary.  But can the God of the universe need anything?

Yet He wants us.  He wants us to participate with Him in the advancement of His Kingdom.  To do so, we must know our role.  We must recognize that we can’t do anything, but He can do everything.  We can’t bring a person to salvation, but He can.  We can’t change a human heart, but He can.  We can’t fix broken relationships, but He can.  We can’t establish a healthy church, but He can.  And He has invited us to ask Him to do what only He can do, and then stand amazed as He pours out His power changing hearts, lives and churches.

Oh yes, He wants us to minister and serve, but not in our own strength.  He has called us to ask Him to flow His power through us as we do what He tells us to do.  He has called us to recognize our severe limitations and His unlimited supply.  We do that through prayer.  We do it by slowing down, ceasing our striving and calling out to Him to do what only He can do. 

As long as we insist on focusing on our business, activities, services and machinery, we will see paltry results, “for apart from Me,” Jesus said, “you can do nothing,” John 15:5.  You can make a lot of noise.  You can create a lot of commotion.  But you can’t accomplish anything of eternal value. 

To have power, we must pray.  If we focus on calling out to Him in prayer to do what only He can do, we can play a vital role in making His Kingdom come and His will be done on earth as it is in heaven, Matt. 6:10.