IF PRAYER CHANGES THINGS....
This summer I have been more intentional about praying.  Partly because I have been doing less "doing", if you know what I mean.  Walter and I tried to plan our summer with more breaks and time for relaxing and committed to only one week of Bible camp and one trip to visit staff.
If prayer changes things... I want to learn more about prayer.
So I have found two particularly helpful resources to spur on my knowledge of prayer.  The book "Streams in the Desert" originally written by L.B. Cowman and edited for graduates by Jim Reimann, has been challenging to me.  I'm a little slow on the uptake but as I read the devotionals day after day, I finally got the point: when we are going through hard, difficult dry "desert" times in our lives, God is teaching us something.  The trials are not a waste of our time or God's attention. And learning to truly pray and connect with God to hear from Him - particularly through the difficulties - this is ONE of the underlying purposes that God allows us to undergo trials.
The second inspiring resource was found on "Amazon.com" as a free download for my Kindle  (e-reader) by Stormie Omartian.  She has written several books on prayer, ie The Praying Mother, The Praying Wife.   As I read the simple yet profound booklet "The 7-Day Prayer Warrior Experience", I was reignited with regard to the warfare aspect of prayer.  She expounded on the armour of God in Ephesians 6.  This gave me some new insights into the armour, the importance of our spiritual weapons to battle the enemy and the significance of prayer as a key weapon for both defense and for advancing the Kingdom on the offense!
Because I had more time for reading, I also have had more time for actual praying. I focused on praying for Walter as he spoke in the Bible camp chapel times.  I made it a priority every morning to seek the Lord and pray for all kinds of requests at the camp.  And we both felt that it had been one of the best camp weeks we had spent in recent years!  I am not taking credit for that.  But when we pray, God does change things.  God's power is somehow released as His people pray.
Well, this coming week, Walter & I are spending a second week at Bible Camp (the first week had been a last-minute decision back in July because of a cancelled camp speaker!).  I will be in the kitchen as head cook and I know from past experience, there isn't much time for leisurely devotions and prayer!  Nevertheless, I have been praying and asking God to prepare me and my husband for this week of ministry, where we will be pouring out physically and spiritually.  We will be "doing".  I don't want to lose that close fellowship with my Saviour and I want to be part of God's work at camp in a meaningful way.
So if you are reading this, maybe God is prompting YOU to be a prayer warrior for us as we minister in the rigorous inner city kids' camp setting.  Or maybe you want to learn more about prayer to be equipped for intercessory ministry.  Go ahead.  Prayer is never a wasted endeavour - it is not the least we can do.
PRAYER IS THE MOST WE CAN DO!