There is a story told about a small town where a man had just opened a bar. One local church, not wanting to have that kind of influence in their town, began to pray that the bar would close. They publicized their efforts, and the whole town knew that they were praying for the bar to shut down.

It just so happened that lightning struck the bar, and it burned to the ground. The owner of the bar sued the church, holding them responsible for what happened. The church denied any responsibility. When the case went before a judge, he mused, “Isn’t this interesting. It seems that the owner of the bar believes in the power of prayer, but the church doesn’t!”

Acts 4:31 says, “After they prayed, the place where they were meeting was shaken. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and spoke the word of God boldly.”

Maybe we all need to put more faith in the power of prayer.