“[God] hears us whenever we ask him; and since we know this is true, we know also that he gives us what we ask from him.” 1 John 5:15 (GNT)

Do you ever wonder if prayer really works?

It’s easy to wonder because often when we’re praying about something, Satan will whisper, “Who do you think you are? What do you think you’re doing? God is not listening. Don’t waste your time. Forget it!”

Prayer works because God is in control. The basis of all miracles is God’s sovereignty. Why does he do one miracle and not another? Because his perspective is greater than ours. He’s in control. That’s why we can trust his wisdom and his goodness. 

Ephesians 3:20 says, “God . . . is able to do far more than we would ever dare to ask or even dream of—infinitely beyond our highest prayers, desires, thoughts, or hopes” (TLB).

Prayer can do whatever God can do. His resources are available to you. The Bible says many times in the New Testament, “Ask.” It’s encouraging to know that things out of my control are not out of God’s control. I may not be able to change a situation, but I can pray and God can change it.

That includes changing a relationship from bad to good, and the quickest way to see that change is to start thanking God for people you are having difficulty getting along with. That’s right—you don’t just pray for them. You thank God for them!

Positive praying is much more powerful than positive thinking. People may resist our help, spurn our appeals, and reject our suggestions, but they are powerless against our prayers.

What do you pray? The more specific you are in prayer, the more specific the answer will be.

In Philippians 1:9-11, Paul spells out exactly what he’s praying for people:

“This is my prayer: that your love may abound more and more in knowledge and depth of insight, so that you may be able to discern what is best and may be pure and blameless for the day of Christ, filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ—to the glory and praise of God” (NIV).

Start praying for the people you think you can’t get along with. It won’t just affect them—it will change you and make your attitude more like Jesus.