What is Prayer Anyway?

Prayer is the means by which we interact with God. It is how a person chooses to involve him or herself with worshiping the creator, confessing sin, asking for provision, and expressing thanksgiving and dependence.

We are invited to pour out our prayers to God as if we are conversing with our Father. There is no amount of request, desire or need which He is not willing to hear. God is big enough to handle any of our emotions. By sharing these requests, we are discipled by God to gain greater wisdom and understanding on the specific topics we pray about.

Prayer is also a primary way we express gratitude to God. We see that throughout the scriptures. There are over 12 passages just about having thanksgiving in our prayers not to mention the Old Testament. Here is a list of prayer and thanksgiving verses for you.

So while we give thanks for what He has done, we are also praying for God to prepare us for what He will do. We pray in order to align ourselves with God and His will in our life. It is not a means of directing God’s will through a spiritual mystical process. God chooses to limit Himself through the prayers of man (1 John 5:14), but He has the freedom to act according to His will freely.

The chief end of prayer to glorify God. This happens as we align ourselves with His character and will and Word through our continual attitude of prayer.

Here are some gut-check questions to hopefully inspire you to use this great gift God has given us:

• When I pray, Am I only talking, or am I also listening?
• What do I repeat in my prayers the most?
  • Is this right?
  • Could I rephrase it to be more aligned with what God wants?
• What stands in the way of me having more of a prayer life?
  • What are three things I can change to foster a more prayerful day-to-day life?
  • Who do I know has a deep prayer life? What can I learn from them?
• How could I use God’s Word more in prayer times?
• Do I give thanks enough? Or am I always asking? What is the percentage split?

Prayer is the most neglected spiritual discipline. If we really grasp the power of prayer, we would have more peace, more power and more of God.