Prayer Week

By: John Carrigan

Monday, January 12, 2026

Let us then approach God’s throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need. Hebrews 4:16

When scripture tells us to approach the throne of grace, it's an invitation to pray. We are told to pray boldly and confidently, and to be anxious about nothing, as we present our prayers to our Heavenly Father. God also promises to give us His peace, and it's a peace that surpasses all understanding, and it will guard our hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.

The longer we follow Jesus, the more we are able to understand the power of prayer. As we continue to grow spiritually, we learn to depend more and more on God's grace and mercy. The more time we spend with God, the more we are able to recognize that our human strength is insufficient.

Years ago, I was in the early stages of recovery from alcohol, and I remember being awed by the power in the first line of what is commonly called the Serenity Prayer: "God grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change; courage to change the things I can; and wisdom to know the difference.”

Praying that prayer repeatedly helped me realize I wasn't in control of anything, but God was. The longer I believed, the easier it became to trust God. Eventually, I learned that God loves to help us, but He also loves it when we ask Him for help in our prayers! I'm no longer in bondage to alcohol, but that "serenity" prayer still works in and on my heart!

That prayer helped me understand that some of the things I couldn't change were people I loved. God changed some of them from unbelievers to believers, but most of the time He was busy changing me... If God is changing you, don't get discouraged, He always changes us for the better! Christians aren't perfect, so we'll still have disagreements and we may have an occasional argument. But we aren't fighting people, we're fighting the rulers, authorities, and dark powers of evil in our world. Spiritual warfare is real, and it's a battle that can only be won through our prayers!

TONIGHT is the start of "Prayer Week" at our CCM campuses. Please come to at least one evening and join us as we pray for our own needs and for the needs of others. Boldly approach God's throne of grace, then present your prayers directly to Him.

Christ follower, I can't tell you how God will answer your prayers, but I can tell you that a prayer not prayed probably won't be answered!