Breaking chains of events with prayer

I could never understand the teaching of Rabbeinu that prayer can break the course of nature. It sounds awesome, and I wanted to believe it, but it never stuck and I could never understand it.

Then I meditated on this, and realized with breathtakingly clarity the utter simplicity of the truth. And I see it in the Baal Teshuvah movement. Here's how.

The Holocaust set into motion a chain of events where families and dynasties were totally annihilated. It is unclear how Jews could ever return to Judaism when so many generations are basically pulled away from everything aspect of the faith, raised as "tinnuk she'nishbah" - in captivity.

So how do we get out of this spiral? There is no possible way, except through prayer. Prayer sets into motion everything - pursuit of halacha, pursuit of acts of kindness, love of Hashem - everything. There is no way to stop the degeneration of Jewish people except through prayer.

And this helps me understand what Rabbi Nosson says vis. that if something is lacking it wasn't prayed for, or it wasn't prayed for enough. How come some families have children who return, and others who don't? It is because of the power of someone's prayers. Either the parents, who secretly or openly prayed and talked to Gcd in front of their children, or the children themselves, whose passion for prayer was awakened by the tefillot of their grandparents.