“Prayer changes nothing!”

Often attributed to Dr. Donald Grey Barnhouse, famous author and Bible expositor, that quote puts into words what many Christians seem to think.

In decades of teaching seminars & workshops on prayer, I’ve heard it often. “Prayer really doesn’t change circumstances, it just changes us.”

The problem is… that’s wrong. It borders on heresy, denying the personal working of God in this world today.

It’s wrong for these basic reasons:

The Bible contradicts it. Even though true prayer certainly changes the person doing the praying, that isn’t the whole story. Here’s a sample of what the Bible says about answered prayer:

• Prayer gave Isaac twin sons even though his wife was barren – Genesis 25:21.
• Prayer kept Esau from killing Jacob and caused the two to reconcile – Genesis 32:11 & 33:4.
• Prayer freed the children of Israel from Egyptian bondage – Exodus 2:23-25.