Remember that lady in Acts 12 who yelled, “AGH! It’s Peter!” then didn’t open the door for him because everyone else in the house was like, “Uh-Uh, that’s a GHOST!“? I’m glad they left that part in there. What makes it better is the fact that they were all praying for Peter’s release from prison, and God miraculously answered them.

But, like the ghost lady, a lot of times we don’t believe our prayers matter either. They do though. They matter a lot.

God, in His sovereignty, has chosen to limit His activity to the prayers of His people.
– Vance Pitman

Paul, on the other hand, would pray and position himself to see God move. He knew prayer changed things. In prison, he wrote this in a letter to Philemon:

Philemon 1:22
At the same time, prepare a guest room for me, for I am hoping that through your prayers I will be graciously given to you.

He wasn’t asking this family to mumble through some little ritual at dinner. He told them to renovate their house in faith that God would move through prayer.

What are you asking God to do that only He can take credit for?

Don’t be like the ghost people. Be like Paul. Pray because it matters.