(Excerpt from Chapter Two of Forgotten Power)If we are going to line up with what God has called us to be, the issue of why is critical.... I would say that the greatest need is not for more practical tools to help us build prayer ministries, but for a solid theological basis for building houses of prayer. God has called us to be a house of prayer. Why? Why is prayer so important that the Lord would name His dwelling place a house of prayer?God (Father, Son, and Spirit) has invested something of great significance in prayer. It is His way of bringing about change on planet earth and at the same time, bringing sons and daughters to maturity. Understanding both His purpose and His ways will not only change your perspective on prayer, but also on the purpose and nature of the Church.It is important at the outset to stress that this plan is of God and is an outworking of His sovereignty. He is the omnipotent God and could have devised any plan to bring about His purposes on this planet. In His sovereignty and wisdom, He chose prayer as His strategy. He chose to give mankind a role to pay in accomplishing His purposes as a means of helping us grow to maturity. . . .Prayer is from the beginning about God. All true prayer originates in the heart of the Father. When the Father wants something done, it is immediately known to the Spirit, “In the same way no one knows the thoughts of God except the Spirit of God” (1 Corinthians 2:11). Through the Spirit, God’s will is made known to the believer. Then, through the name and authority of the Son, we pray back to the Father what He wanted to do in the first place. Mankind has a role ... a vital role ... but it’s all about God!. . . Here is the heart of the matter, and that which should change the way we look at prayer forever: Prayer is the way God has chosen to accomplish His will on earth. When we understand that, suddenly prayer moves from something that can seem selfish and self-serving, to an amazing opportunity to be a participant in the work of God in our world.Excerpt from Forgotten Power, copyright ©2015 by Dave Butts. Used by permission. To receive a copy of the book Forgotten Power, give a gift of any amount to OneCry in the month of October.