Discover the powerful benefits of prayer for your faith. Learn how it can improve your life and relationship with God.
Imagine you are going to visit a close family member. You arrive, they swing the door wide open to greet you… but you pay no notice as you amble in and look around. The house is beautiful, and you feel quite welcome. Your family member follows behind you as you explore, waiting to hear your thoughts, but you remain silent.
Or you slipped as you walked by a raging river and were pulled out and saved by a kind stranger who jumped in after you. Upon recovering from the danger, you look directly into the eyes of the man waiting to hear your gratitude, but again your lips stay closed.
You have plenty to say – we all do. And most especially, there is assuredly plenty you would like to communicate with your Creator, Savior, Father, and King. But somehow, we have a tendency to run to post it on social media instead of conducting an intimate conversation with the One who is following us most closely.
The truth may sting, but this is not the end of your story yet. There is no reason we can’t start up a conversation with the Lord God now.
What is Prayer in Simple Words?
Although prayer is a central focus of religions around the world, we’re going to concentrate on Christian prayer here, obviously. So, stop and think about what you think it means to pray to God. Hopefully, you are imagining a quiet time of personal reflection that you share with Him.
People may get tangled up in what should be included in the words they choose to share with their Maker. But it can be much simpler than that. Jesus gave us a template for the prayers we are meant to pray when He gave us the Lord’s Prayer in Matthew 6:9-13. In that prayer, we see the following guidelines:
How To Pray the Lord’s Prayer
- Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name.
- Prayer is giving God the glory He deserves.
- Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.
- Prayer is letting Him know we bow to His wishes.
- Give us this day our daily bread,
- Prayer is telling Him our needs.
- and forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors.
- Prayer is asking forgiveness.
- And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.
- Prayer is asking for help.
Any or all of these may be a part of your time with God each day. He knows your needs. Sometimes, He’s just waiting to hear from you.
What Prayer is NOT
Many people are hesitant to work on their prayer life because they see it as a daily commitment that will take too much time. That, my friends, is the mindset of one not in the habit of daily conversation with the Lord. Prayer can be a beautiful, sweet time of communion that flourishes more each day.
However, prayer can too often be misused by those who don’t correctly understand its meaning. A few ways of thinking of prayer that will NOT enhance your relationship with God are:
A Wish List: God is not Santa Claus. So, you should not come to Him with your list of material wants. Think of it this way, if you were physically in the true presence of the Lord, all of those desires would likely float away in your awe.
A Duty: Think of that teenager who just unwrapped his birthday present from Grandma of a handmade sweater. She couldn’t wait to give it to him, knowing he needed it to keep warm. The teen would rather have had new electronics, and so he rolls his eyes. His mother, knowing better, kicks her son’s foot. He gets the picture and mumbles out, “Thank you very much, Grandma.” See where I’m going here?
A Mindless Recitation: Nobody likes getting calls from telemarketers or machines. Mostly, it feels like (or might actually be) someone reading from a script. You know right away that they aren’t thinking about you as a person at all. I imagine God feels similarly when we merely repeat words and call it a prayer.
A Declaration of All the Fancy Words You Know: God has a very definite opinion about those who act pompously to gain admiration from others, and it’s not favorable. Matthew 6:5 lays out this opinion when we are told that those who pray only to be seen by others are hypocrites in God’s eyes. He only cares what you have to say to Him – in any words you like.
Why Do We Need To Pray?
It may feel as though we are offering something to God when we pray, but in actuality, we are the ones who reap the benefits. Remember there is nothing we can give God that He needs. So, then, what’s the point?
Because it was what we were made to do. Romans 11:36 tells us: For from him and through him and for him are all things. To him be the glory forever! Amen.”
Our prayer can be as simple as that, a simple declaration of God’s glory.
By participating in this beautiful place of communion with the Lord will benefit you as well. We are told in James 4:8, “Draw near to God and he will draw near to you.” Can you imagine walking side by side through life with your heavenly Father?
It goes even beyond that too. Sometimes, God is just waiting for you to ask for the needs in your heart. Matthew 7:7-8 tells us,"Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives, and the one who seeks finds, and to the one who knocks it will be opened." If the desires of your heart match His divine will, you can be assured He is ready to answer.
But mostly, the reason we pray because Jesus did, like we see in Luke 5:18. What better way have we to glorify God than by imitating His Son?
How to Develop a Consistent Prayer Life
Nothing will strengthen your faith more than a healthy prayer life. Knowing what a vital role prayer plays in a Christian’s life, you are no doubt ready to create a consistent routine of communication with our heavenly Father. How do we develop a consistent prayer life?
- Put aside a specific time each day to talk to the Lord. It doesn’t need to be first thing in the morning or last thing at night, but if you do it at the same time each day, you are more likely to remember.
- Don’t think too much. You’ll get caught up in worrying if you’re doing it right. Just start talking as though you are talking to your best friend.
- Take a moment to concentrate on with Whom you are speaking. When the idea of His glory is all around you, you’ll never be at a loss for words.
- But if you DO have trouble putting it into words, stop. Let the Holy Spirt do the rest for you.
Remember God is just waiting to hear from you. Take a step in strengthening your faith by making prayer part of your daily life.