Joel Osteen shares how his father proved that there is power in prayer

Joel Osteen talks about the power of prayer.(Photo: Joel Osteen Ministries)

Joel Osteen's father prayed about everything, even the simplest things.

In his blog, Joel shared how his father proved non-believers wrong when he prayed for a tiny miracle to happen. Back in the 1950s, his father would travel from town to town and speak at small churches and conventions, and he even carried all his sound equipment in his car.

"One evening, he arrived a couple of hours early at the auditorium where he was going to preach to get everything setup," recalled Joel. "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."

His father and a group of other people tried to get the trunk open by shaking and jiggling it. They even tried using a coat hanger just to get it to open, but to no avail. After several tries, Joel's father suddenly realised that he had not prayed about the situation 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,'" said Joel.

But his father prayed anyway. While he was praying, spectators began snickering and making fun of the elder Osteen. After praying, his father went to the trunk and shook it again, but it still refused to budge.

"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," said Joel.

Joel urged people who are currently undergoing things that are beyond their control to pray about their situations, because God cares about people's every need. "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," he said.