I remember reading a literary review where the reviewer had an insight that I had never really thought of before. He said that in good fiction the plot grows from the strength of development of the characters, rather than the reverse. In other words, if the writer develops strong characters, the story will almost write itself. But if the characters are weak, the story probably won’t work, regardless of the plot.

There’s a similarity there to the way prayer works. It starts with the person doing the praying. The Bible says, “The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective.” If a person is weak in character and faith, that person’s prayers won’t make much difference. But, if the person doing the praying is fully committed to God and sincerely desires God’s will, the results will come supernaturally.