In his book Deepening Your Conversation with God, Ben Patterson observes: prayer is the work and ministry is the fruit. He’s right. Praying for others is the heavy lifting of wielding influence — especially when your advocacy involves searching Scripture and using God’s revealed will and reputation to make your case.

As R. A. Torrey writes in How to Pray:

We live in a day characterized by the multiplication of man’s machinery and the diminution of God’s power. The great cry of our day is work, work, work, new organizations, new methods, new machinery; the great need of our day is prayer.

If your heart is bent on making a difference, search out God’s interests in the matter. If it’s more than you can lift, enlist others. Join forces with a praying friend, or discover who prays at your church. It’s the giant first step toward fruitfulness.