This week brought another tragic school shooting. Once again, the liberal left rushed to microphones, mocking believers for offering “thoughts and prayers,” rolling their eyes as if prayer were nothing more than empty words tossed into the wind.
But prayer is not weakness. Prayer is not silence. Prayer is the most powerful response a follower of Christ can give.
From the first pages of Scripture to the last, the story of God’s people is marked by prayer. Abraham prayed for a family, and God answered. Moses prayed for his people, and the sea split open before them. Hannah prayed for a son, and Samuel was born. David prayed in the caves of despair, turning fear into songs of faith. Elijah prayed, and fire fell from heaven. Jesus prayed in the wilderness, on the mountainside, and in the garden when the cross was hours away. The early church prayed in an upper room, and the Spirit of God shook the earth beneath their feet.
Prayer appears again and again in Scripture because it is not optional for the believer — it is oxygen. Without prayer, the soul suffocates.
And so when tragedy strikes, Christians pray. Not because it is easy, but because it is the only way to place grief into the hands of God. Prayer is not the end of action but the beginning of it. It is not a muttered comfort to ourselves, but a cry to the living God who promises: “Call to me and I will answer you and tell you great and unsearchable things you do not know” (Jeremiah 33:3).
So let the liberal left laugh. Believers will keep praying. Not because it is habit, but because it is hope. Not because it is tradition, but because it is power. Prayer is not doing nothing — it is calling on the only One who can do everything.
And here is the deeper truth: prayer reshapes the one who prays. Every cry, every whisper, every word spoken to heaven bends the heart closer to the heart of God. Moses left the tent of meeting with his face shining. Hannah rose from her tears with her face no longer downcast. Jesus left Gethsemane with the strength to walk toward the cross. Prayer did not remove the suffering — but it gave the power to endure it.
That is why Paul wrote, “Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 4:6–7).
Prayer may not instantly change what is outside, but it plants peace inside — a peace strong enough to steady the mind and guard the heart. When prayer becomes the rhythm of life, despair loses its grip. Worry still knocks, but it no longer rules. Fear still shouts, but it is drowned out by the whisper of God’s Spirit. Hope rises. Strength returns. And the soul begins to look more like the Savior it calls upon.
The truth is this: nothing is more active, nothing is more powerful, than placing a life fully into the hands of God through prayer.