Prayer of Action!

 (Part of the Prayer Series)

Date: 21/04/2026

Many of us enter the courts of our Father carrying a platter of fruit. The platter is beautifully arranged. The fruits are carefully chosen. Some are big and ripe, some carry marks of bruising, and the whole platter feels heavy in our hands because it contains everything we have been carrying for days, weeks, or even longer.

We stand before Him with this platter and we begin to speak. Instead of simply presenting it to Him, we start describing each fruit in great detail. We talk about how this particular fruit came into our life, how long we have been carrying it, how it has been weighing on us day after day, which parts feel sore and painful, and which parts still look fresh on the outside. We go around and around the platter, pointing out every single detail. All the while we keep repeating the same words, “Father, I am giving this to You… I am presenting this platter to You… I surrender this to You.” We say it again and again, thinking that by describing it and repeating the surrender words we are actually handing it over.

Yet our hands remain tightly wrapped around the platter the whole time.

When we finally whisper “Amen” and end the prayer, we turn and walk out of that time with God still holding the same platter firmly in our hands. Nothing has been left behind. We have carried everything right back out with us.

In our everyday prayer life, the same thing happens again and again. We come into prayer carrying our burdens, our worries, our needs, and our unanswered situations. We begin to describe them from every possible angle. Sometimes we spend many long minutes going over the same issue repeatedly. Even while we are describing it, we keep inserting the words, “Lord, I surrender this to You… I give it to You… I let it go into Your hands.” We repeat the surrender words many times during the prayer, convinced that we are truly releasing everything to Him.

But the moment we finish praying and say “Amen,” we walk away carrying the exact same weight we brought in. Nothing inside feels lighter. In fact, for many of us, the situation feels exactly the same as before. Some of us even walk out feeling more depressed or more burdened than when we first started praying.

And then the quiet question rises up: God is almighty. He has promised to carry our burdens. He wants to take them from us. So why do I still feel this heavy? Why does it feel like nothing has changed even after I prayed?

The issue is not on God’s side. God is more than willing. The real question we need to ask ourselves is this: Have we actually let it go?

Even though our lips keep saying “I surrender,” in reality we have not released it. The very act of describing the problem in such detail, going over it again and again, has caused us, without us even realising it, to hold on to the issue even tighter. Psychologically, the more we talk about something and rehearse it in our mind, the deeper we grip it. What we thought was an act of surrender has quietly become a long rehearsal that actually strengthens our hold on the very thing we wanted to release.

What then does full and true release look like?

Let us look at the apostle Paul. He pleaded with the Lord three times to remove the thorn in his flesh. Yet the Lord’s answer to him was, “My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness” (2 Corinthians 12:9, NKJV). Notice that the thorn did not disappear. The problem was still there. But something inside Paul shifted the moment he heard those words from God. He stopped fixing his eyes on the thorn and turned his full attention to the grace and greatness of God instead.

Some of us may read this and think that Paul became a sadist who somehow learned to enjoy the thorn. But that is not what happened at all! Paul was not enjoying the pain. He was not trying to suffer more. What changed was his focus. He simply stopped staring at the problem and fixed his eyes on the Lord. From that place he could say, “Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in needs, in persecutions, in distresses, for Christ’s sake. For when I am weak, then I am strong.” The thorn was still there, but because his attention had shifted to God, the thorn no longer held the same power over him.

We see the same pattern in the case of Peter. As long as Peter kept his eyes locked on Jesus, he was able to walk on water. The wind and the waves were still there, the storm had not gone away. But because his eyes were on the Lord, he could continue walking on the water. The moment Peter turned his gaze away from Jesus and looked at the storm instead, he started focusing on the situation around him. That was when he began to sink.

And when Jesus reached out His hand and chided him, “O you of little faith, why did you doubt?” (Matthew 14:31, NKJV), Peter’s attention turned back to the Lord. Once his eyes were fixed on Jesus again, he was able to walk on water once more.

When it comes to our own prayer, it is not wrong to tell God our need. It is not wrong to bring our burdens before Him. But when we over-elaborate on the problem, when we keep circling back to describe it again and again even while we are praying, our attention slowly drifts away from the One we came to meet. Instead of staying focused on God, we end up focusing more and more on the issue itself!

So how do we truly release the platter? Let’s go back to that analogy of the platter of fruit!

We come into His presence carrying our platter of fruit. We simply present it to Him. We tell Him that we are giving it to Him. Then we put down the platter! We open our hands! We let go completely and release it!!

Notice that after telling Him that we are giving it to Him, the rest of it is pure action! It is not opening our mouth and chattering on and on. It is action!!

Giving it to Him is an action!! Not just saying!!

Likewise, when we pray, it is the same! After we have told Him our need and said that we surrender it to Him, we don’t keep repeating the words “I surrender.” Instead, we move into action! We actually release it to Him! We let it go!! Not just saying we have released it — but truly releasing it!!

Action!! Let it go! Release!!

As a fellow human being, letting go is also not easy for me at times. Many of us would have asked the same question — “How do I let go?” Because it is easy to say “let go,” but it seems so difficult to actually do it!

I can totally relate to that. I have been in that same place many times myself.

Through the years, I have learned this: After I have told God that I am giving the matter to Him and I have released it in prayer, I turn my eyes away from the problem. I stop looking at the issue and I begin to praise His name. I start declaring His goodness, His power, His faithfulness, and His love. I adore Him for who He is. Paul turned his full attention to the all-sufficiency of God after hearing “My grace is sufficient for you,”.

The more I look at Him and worship Him, the less my mind returns to the burden I just laid down. Without me even trying hard, I keep dropping every remaining piece of that worry because my attention is no longer on the problem — it is fully on Him.

As I continue to worship and fix my eyes on Him, I drift deeper and deeper into His presence. The process is natural. Then I begin to enjoy deeper intimacy with Him in that time of prayer. And in that place of closeness, all my issues and burdens just drop off subconsciously. In the very space where my worry and concern used to occupy, God begins to fill me up with His presence, His peace, His joy, and all the good things He has prepared for me!

And after this time of prayer, we really walk out truly refreshed and having truly let go of the issue.

Psychologically speaking, the mind feels so much lighter. Because the burden is no longer weighing us down, we are able to think more clearly and deal with the situation at hand in a much better way.

Spiritually speaking, after such a time, we tend to become more in tune with God. This allows a natural partnership between us and Him to take place. It happens in a subconscious and natural manner as He carries us through the problem. And as we deal with the situation, He subtly gives us wisdom and strength along the way — without us even realising it at times!

This is where the natural and the spiritual come together in a beautiful balance.

I’d like to clarify this.

The problem will most likely still be there after we step out of prayer. The issue may come back again and bother us again. And this is normal.

Actually, this is a continuing process. Every time we come back to God, we practise the same cycle — releasing our burdens to Him, being filled with His presence, and then walking out to deal with the situation with His strength. The more we practise this cycle, the stronger we become. Just like a muscle that is trained through repeated exercise, our spiritual muscle grows with every release. We get better at letting go. We get better at partnering with Him. And over time we learn to walk through every situation better.

This is where we can see the real breakthrough in our life and we can truly live a life of freedom in Christ!

It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand fast therefore in the liberty by which Christ has made us free, and do not be entangled again with a yoke of bondage. Galatians 5:1 (NKJV)

Casting all your care upon Him, for He cares for you. 1 Peter 5:7 (NKJV)

Cast your burden on the Lord, and He shall sustain you; He shall never permit the righteous to be moved. Psalm 55:22 (NKJV)

Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus. Philippians 4:6-7 (NKJV)