Norwegian preacher, teacher, and theologian Ole Kristian Hallesby was not known as a man who backed down from his beliefs. He spent two years in a concentration camp for speaking out against the Nazi occupation of Norway. The strength that sustained him was not found in his intellect or personal convictions. Instead, it was found in the time he spent in prayer.
He wrote, "Prayer is the conduit through which power from heaven is brought to earth." I think it's essential to see that downward flow of prayer—from heaven to earth. It isn't only about us making our requests known to God; it's about how the conduit of prayer reveals the character of God within us.
Before prayer changes our circumstances, it changes us.
