When prayer feels dry and God feels distant, it catches us by surprise. I’m a long-time Christ-follower, so shouldn’t I know how to do this by now? Why do I feel so dry and disconnected?

Spiritual deserts can turn prayers into checklists rather than into an ongoing conversation marked by adoration for the Lord, and when they do, they feel flat. This throws us off course and leaves us discouraged, burned out, or unsure in our next step in ministry.

Pastor Jason Burns of Grace Alive Church in Prairie City, Iowa, went through a dry season like this. On the surface, he looked the part: He’s a man of God devoted to preaching the Gospel, but his church wasn’t flourishing, and his private prayer life had faltered. “I thought I knew how to pray,” he says, yet his spiritual life was stagnant. He felt aimless. Stuck.

One day, a friend and missions partner texted him the title of a book, urging him to read it right away: Old Past, New Power: Awakening Your Church through Prayer and the Ministry of the Word by Daniel Henderson. Pastor Burns ordered the book immediately. After reading it, he attended a 3-day Strategic Renewal prayer summit. It changed everything.

Why Prayer Matters 

In Acts 6, the apostles committed themselves to prayer and the ministry of the word. They prioritized prayer and the preaching and teaching of the Gospel above everything else.

Prayer isn’t an optional part of ministry: It’s the most critical component. Prayer restores purpose, redefines leadership, and reconnects people to what God wants to do in their lives and the lives of those they serve. Intercession fuels ministry. It directs purpose, defines leadership, and connects people to what God is doing.

A Model to Follow

Strategic Renewal brings that same earnest dedication to ministry leaders today through Prayer Summits. These 3-day “retreat” style gatherings are modeled after the Early Church’s approach to seeking God in prayer and worship, which equips leaders to pray Scripture-fed, Spirit-led, worship-filled prayers. 

“We know it’s very important to pray,” Bill Sutton said. “There’s nothing more important in a relationship than communication.” For Bill and his wife Carol, understanding how to talk to God using a biblical format changed everything.

Bill and Carol attended a Strategic Renewal Prayer Summit at their church in Tampa, FL, which got them excited about this life-changing pattern of prayer. After the summit, they went on to take Strategic Renewal’s “Transforming Prayer” Coaching Course where they learned to pray according to Lord’s prayer in this order: Reverence, Response, Request, and Readiness.

“Over and over the Bible says, ‘It’s all for His glory.’ When we get focused on praying and giving and worshiping and honoring and praising God for who He is, we know Him more deeply, and then the work of the church becomes more purposeful,” Carol explained. 

Today, Bill says he’s less request-oriented, more reverence-oriented, and therefore more readiness-oriented.

Making a Comeback 

Pastor Burns and his entire leadership team also attended a Strategic Renewal Prayer Summit, where they learned to pray the Scriptures to speak God’s truth and promises back to Him.

“I always wanted to pray through Scripture. I just . . . I didn’t really know how to,” Pastor Burns said.  

The Prayer Summit gave Pastor Burns the training and tools to pray through Scripture, and he came away with a restored sense of purpose. He says he can pick up the Word and pray through it with anybody now.

Prayer Ignites Passion 

Prayer fueled the apostles’ ministry, and it still fuels ministries now. Pastor Burns’s experience at the Summit reignited his spiritual fervor and redirected his ministry. “This is what I want to do. This is what [God] wants me to do,” he says.

Today, Grace Alive prioritizes prayer. When they started to pray Scripture-fed, Spirit-led, worship-based prayers, it not only changed corporate meetings but also transformed hearts, turning people toward the goodness of God and prompting them to worship him even in struggle or uncertainty. Praise is the purpose.

So often we come to the Lord with a grocery list kind of prayer list. “We don’t do that anymore,” Pastor Burns says. Grace Alive starts every meeting by praising the Lord and honoring Him first, and whenever Pastor Burns says, “Let’s just give God praise,” the congregation responds with a low, audible roar of prayer.

Prayer Restores Purpose 

Grace Alive is now a house of prayer. “We’re always saying we’re not going to wait and say, ‘I’m going to pray for you’ and then go away. We’re going to pray for you now. And so, we’re going to gather whoever we have in the room to come over and pray over you.”  They pray right then, right there. “Let’s not just talk about it; let’s do it.”

During the week, Grace Alive has several small groups that meet to pray together and hold one another accountable. They’re teaching their students to do it, too. “Getting middle school kids to pray out loud? It’s like, wow. That only comes from the hand of God, right?”

Join the Movement 

Reawakening to a life of intercession doesn’t happen overnight. It’s a process, and Strategic Renewal is on a mission to help people through it. The Prayer Summit empowers leaders, encourages disciples, and envisions awakening to cultivate a thriving prayer life.

“Once I started to pray through the scriptures for myself, it energized me. It gave me a whole new purpose, a new calling.” Pastor Burns went from dry to refreshed and from aimless to laser focused. You can, too, and your story is part of a widespread prayer-led movement of renewal.

Has your passion been reignited and your purpose been redirected through the power of prayer? Our team would love to hear your story. Share your inspiring comeback story with us, or show your support for Strategic Renewal by giving to the Comeback Movement, rejoining the 6:4 Fellowship, or renewing your involvement in it.