Is Prayer a Copout? Praying for Slave Lake

In a recent prayer event there was a speaker who was talked about and celebrated. The prayer breakfast, which was a huge community event for the Mayor and Reeve, was poorly attended. I believe the speaker came to draw more of a crowd. Well, I'm not sure it worked. But in the midst of this a very important question came out; Is prayer not enough?

Today I ponder that question in light of the destruction of Slave Lake, Alberta (Click title to see story). This town of 6700 people went under fire early today. In an interview (of a man in charge I think), this man spoke of how many people were coming to help this ill fated town. My heart pounds with desire to make a difference in these types of situations. So what can I do?

At the end of the interview, the man asked if the reporter would say a prayer for Slave Lake today. I could not help but think, YES! I will pray. Often prayer is a tag on to "actual" help, but for the this man prayer was not an add on, but an emphasis. Prayer is not a copout. Its effective. But, until we realize that we are not simply praying to the ceiling or the sky our prayers are few and far in between. I dare you to believe. Believe in the God that cares for his people. Believe in the God who created and sustains the universe. Col 1:15-17; James 5:16.