At some point, we all come to the realization that there will be situations we face that are too big for us to handle by ourselves. It may be with our health, our finances, our loved ones, or anything else that means a great deal to us. We can either struggle along trying to find our own solutions, or acknowledge that we need God to guide us. Taking into account life’s unpredictability, we’re wise to choose the second alternative.

Many of us simply neglect to pray until we face dire circumstances, but this is backward. Prayer is amazingly powerful; it opens doors for us that we could never open on our own, and positions us for opportunities we never knew existed. The God who made a way for His people to escape annihilation by their enemies when there was no way (Isaiah 43:16, 17) is the same God who promises to deliver us from drowning in our own sea of troubles. We simply need to swallow our pride and ask Him for help. “Hitherto have ye asked nothing in my name: ask, and ye shall receive, that your joy may be full” (John 16:24).

The times that seem the bleakest and most discouraging are the times when we need to go to God in prayer. For some people, God doesn’t seem real until trouble hits; then He suddenly becomes very real. When we study the Scriptures we find out specifically what His will is for us. The knowledge of God’s Word reveals to us His nature, and it affects how we pray. “Now this is the confidence that we have in Him, that if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us. And if we know that He hears us, whatever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we have asked of Him” (1 John 5:14, 15, NKJV).

God loves us and He wants to give us His best, but our skepticism hinders us from receiving from Him. When we’re staring into the face of a problem that seems insurmountable, we need to believe in His ability and willingness to get involved. “Then Jesus said to the disciples, ‘Have faith in God. I tell you the truth, you can say to this mountain, ‘May you be lifted up and thrown into the sea,’ and it will happen. But you must really believe it will happen and have no doubt in your heart. I tell you, you can pray for anything, and if you believe that you’ve received it, it will be yours” (Mark 11:22-24, NLT). No matter what the issue looks like from our perspective, God is much bigger than any obstacle in our way.

God sent His Son to die on a cross so that we could pray freely to Him about anything, in good times and bad. Believing in what Jesus did to make God’s help and guidance accessible to us puts prayer in a whole new light. We have His Word that when we pray in faith, He hears us. “I am praying to you because I know you will answer, O God. Bend down and listen as I pray” (Psalm 17:6, NLT). Constantly keeping our prayer connection open puts us in a win-win situation.