Numbers 21:6-8
When was the last time you got on your knees and cried out to God about something other than personal issues? We’re often so involved in our own lives that we fail to see the crises facing others. I’m talking about situations that don’t affect our family at all—even more unrelated to us than, say, the deployment of a soldier we know or a terrorist attack on our land. But whether circumstances touch strangers or hit “close to home,” doesn’t it often feel as if such matters are just too big for one person’s prayer to make a difference?
Well, don’t believe it. The enemy wants us to assume that cataclysmic or tragic problems are too vast for our petitions to have any effect. But Scripture assures us that “the effective prayer of a righteous man can accomplish much” (James 5:16). And the next verse gives a powerful example: “Elijah was a man with a nature like ours, and he prayed earnestly that it would not rain, and it did not rain on the earth for three years and six months.”
Almighty God is able to heal, bring peace, and change circumstances. And He allows His children to participate in the process through prayer. He instructs us to talk with Him about everything (Phil. 4:6) and promises to hear when sin does not obstruct our communication (Ps. 66:18).
The next time you hear of a tragedy or problem—regardless of whether it affects strangers or people you know—resist the temptation to distance yourself from it. You can have an impact on the lives of others when you intercede on their behalf. So let news of a crisis become a catalyst for prayer.
