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The call for prayer can grow old and we can become indifferent to the place where prayer is not even a part of our lives. Can you imagine a Christian who does not pray? It happens. We neglect the simple things like prayer and meditation upon God’s Word and the next thing you know we just go through the motions, giving God as little time as possible. No wonder Jesus admonished the church at Ephesus to return to their first love.

Revelation 2:4-5 (ESV) ⁴ But I have this against you, that you have abandoned the love you had at first. ⁵ Remember therefore from where you have fallen; repent, and do the works you did at first. If not, I will come to you and remove your lampstand from its place, unless you repent.

It’s not just words to fill that we ask our church body to pray about the pending financial needs of the church. It’s not a word of condemnation that we say it’s a spiritual problem. All problems in the church when treated properly are spiritual problems in that we turn our attention to God and look to Him to send answers.

Here’s a good example from the book of Acts when the early church looked at Peter’s imprisonment as a spiritual problem.

Acts 12:5-16 (ESV) ⁵ So Peter was kept in prison, but earnest prayer for him was made to God by the church. ⁶ Now when Herod was about to bring him out, on that very night, Peter was sleeping between two soldiers, bound with two chains, and sentries before the door were guarding the prison. ⁷ And behold, an angel of the Lord stood next to him, and a light shone in the cell. He struck Peter on the side and woke him, saying, "Get up quickly." And the chains fell off his hands. ⁸ And the angel said to him, "Dress yourself and put on your sandals." And he did so. And he said to him, "Wrap your cloak around you and follow me." ⁹ And he went out and followed him. He did not know that what was being done by the angel was real, but thought he was seeing a vision. ¹⁰ When they had passed the first and the second guard, they came to the iron gate leading into the city. It opened for them of its own accord, and they went out and went along one street, and immediately the angel left him. ¹¹ When Peter came to himself, he said, "Now I am sure that the Lord has sent his angel and rescued me from the hand of Herod and from all that the Jewish people were expecting." ¹² When he realized this, he went to the house of Mary, the mother of John whose other name was Mark, where many were gathered together and were praying. ¹³ And when he knocked at the door of the gateway, a servant girl named Rhoda came to answer. ¹⁴ Recognizing Peter's voice, in her joy she did not open the gate but ran in and reported that Peter was standing at the gate. ¹⁵ They said to her, "You are out of your mind." But she kept insisting that it was so, and they kept saying, "It is his angel!" ¹⁶ But Peter continued knocking, and when they opened, they saw him and were amazed.

I know that was a lengthy passage to paste into this little article, but I wanted you to read it so I hope you read it all and read it again. When the church took a physical need, Peter’s imprisonment, and treated it as a spiritual problem, they humbled themselves before God and God blew their mind.

Notice that the girl, Rhoda, knew it was Peter at the door because the church was praying for him.  (The ones praying doubted and told her she was nuts!)  That’s a good lesson. When we pray, we should expect to be surprised and overwhelmed by God’s answer. That is, after all, the way He does things.

Jeremiah 33:3 (ESV) Call to me and I will answer you, and will tell you great and hidden things that you have not known.