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Do you ever think, “That is a pointless prayer. Nothing’s going to change in that situation, so why bother praying about it”? Well, if you’ve ever felt that way, I encourage you to believe that there are “No Pointless Prayers.”
I can certainly relate to that feeling of praying for something or someone and afterwards feeling like it’s not going to make any difference. But recently I was sent an article by Marcus Warner of Deeper Life Ministries entitled “No Pointless Prayers,” and I eagerly read it because the title resonated with me. Is it true there are no pointless prayers?
In his article, Marcus talks about a time recently when he thought of some friends—a couple—who are not yet believers and have not yet shown much inclination to learn about Christianity, and as he was reminded of them, he just said a quick prayer that they would come to saving faith. Immediately afterwards an inner voice said to him That was a pointless prayer. He recognized that this thought had come from the enemy, and later he wrote in his journal a message from God to him:
“I heard your prayers. They were not pointless. The incense comes before the throne of grace—a sweet smelling, wonderful aroma of love and worship in a world that is broken and malfunctioning. There are no pointless prayers.”
Marcus goes on to say, “This feels true to me. Granted, some praying is more effective than others, but it is better to pray badly than not to pray at all.”
Is there something or someone you’ve been praying for a long time and it feels pointless? Don’t give up. In Luke 18 Jesus gave us the parable of the persistent widow who kept on begging the judge to grant her request, which he finally did simply because she was so persistent. Jesus said the purpose of this parable was to show his disciples that they should always pray and not give up.
I want to encourage you to always pray and not give up praying for what is on your heart, even if it seems pointless to you. There are no pointless prayers.