To have power, prayer must be real, not formal.
Real prayer is costly.
Richardson listed some examples of people who had made sacrifices because of their encounters with God, such as the missionaries William Carey and David Livingston. Prayer has remarkable power. The chemistry of prayer is such that it brings power to the human soul. Like Moses descending Mount Sinai, Stephen during his stoning, and Jesus during his transfiguration, prayer changes us. The life of prayer, as Richardson understood it, becomes a life of unselfish service.