"…The prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective. Elijah was a man just like us. He prayed earnestly that it would not rain, and it did not rain on the land for three and a half years. Again he prayed, and the heavens gave rain, and the earth produced its crops." - James 5:16-18
Never underestimate the power of prayer. It's direct conversation with The Creator of the Universe, what could be more powerful than that??
Yes he doesn't do things the way we want him too most of the time but if we were patient enough to endure times of testing the result that he has for us is always better than what we could have imagined for ourselves because The Bible says this in Isaiah 55:8-9
“For my thoughts are not your thoughts,
neither are your ways my ways,”
declares the LORD.
9 “As the heavens are higher than the earth,
so are my ways higher than your ways
and my thoughts than your thoughts.
But that doesn't mean we don't need to pray cause he already has it all worked out anyway. How can we have a relationship with God if we don't talk to him? How can we know our Saviour without just talking things over with him. Yes it's good to pray for his will to be done in your life, but if that's the only thing you say to God while praying, there is no wonder you doubt the power of it so much.
Malachi 3:6a "For I am the LORD, I do not change;"
Hebrews 13:8 "Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever."
My friends, God does not change. He is the everlasting God. If your God is not the God you read of in the bible it's not that he's changed, it's us. "The Lord whom we seek." That's the problem we don't seek God, We seek revival, healings, miracles. If we get God we get all that's needed!
When was the last time you sat spellbound at his majesty?? When was the last time you just lay there in awe at his presence??
In response to your original question "EndlessGrace" Stay close to him! Be diligent in prayer with him. It's not that he doesn't want to answer our prayers, he wants us to have faith and endure tough times for this is the foundation of powerful and effective faith. How easy would it be for us to fall on our face and ask something of God and he gave us it instantly? What would we learn from this ? How would we grow? We wouldn't, all we would discover is we tell God jump and he says how high.
Our own parents would take a step back from us sometimes when we were learning to walk, it's the only way we learn. But rest assured if we ever were to fall our parents would be there in an instant. God too takes a step back sometimes and watches us taking those few steps on our own and it ravishes his heart, oh how it pleases him! But he is there evenmore so than our own parents when we fall or stumble, a very present help in the times of trouble!
Stay strong, The Lord is mighty to save! And he never disappoints.