When my father was a young minister back in the 1950's, he would travel from town to town speaking at small churches and conventions, and he carried his own sound equipment in the trunk of his car. One evening, he arrived a couple of hours early at the auditorium where he was going to preach to get everything setup. Several hundred people were expected that night, which was a big deal for my father at the time. He wanted it to all go perfectly. But in the midst of the excitement, he accidentally locked his keys in the trunk of his car and couldn't get the sound equipment out. He and some other people started working on the trunk, shaking it and jiggling it. They tried using a coat hanger to get it open. No success. It looked like his big evening was ruined. Just when he was about to give up, it dawned on him that he hadn't prayed yet.
One thing I can tell you about my father is that he knew how to pray bold prayers. He wasn't ashamed to pray about anything. Growing up, he would pray over the lawnmower, over the dishwasher, over anything that wouldn't work. My father told all the people standing there that he was going to pray and ask God to help him open the trunk. They looked at him strangely. That seemed so far out. They were thinking, "You can't pray for a trunk to open."
But my father did. He said, "God, I know there is nothing too hard for You. Lord, I need this sound equipment for my meeting tonight. I'm asking You to somehow, someway help me get it open."
While he was praying, the people watching were kind of snickering and making fun under their breath. When he finished praying, he went over to the trunk and shook it and jiggled it even harder, but it still wouldn't open. He turned and walked away. When he got about ten feet from the car, everyone heard a click. They looked back, and all on its own, that trunk began to slowly open up just like it was saying, "Hallelujah!" Those other people nearly passed out, and my father had one of the best meetings of his life that night.
Today, like my father, maybe you are in a circumstance that seems beyond your control. Maybe you've asked others for help and tried everything you could. I'm asking you today, have you prayed about it? God cares about every need that you have, the big things and the small things. He cares about opening a trunk, turning around your health, helping your child, your finances and fulfilling your dreams. Don't ever think that something is too small to pray about it.
"Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God." (Philippians 4:6, NIV)