Prayer is simply communication with God. It is talking with Him at anytime, anywhere, in any way (1 Thessalonians 5:17). Because God is personal, ALL people can pray. All you need to do is start talking to Him, whether in your head silently or out loud. It’s up to you. Whatever way you choose to talk to Him, He is listening.
We pray instinctively. If you have ever found yourself saying, “Help me!” in your head, you have an idea of how to pray. You just didn’t know Who you were crying out to. When we pray, we thank the Lord for the good things in our lives. We turn to Him in times of need (Philippians 4:6).
Prayer is a process. We don’t naturally pray flawlessly and eloquently. It takes practice and time. Some people do have a gift of prayer and intercession, but many of us struggle with our prayers. We need to understand that learning to pray is a process. It is also us learning to trust God and learning how to listen to His response.
We KNOW prayer is something we should do, so why don’t’ we pray more? There are many reasons people don’t pray.
“I am not good enough.”
“Why would God listen to me?”
“My request isn’t worth His time and effort.”
“I don’t know HOW to pray.”
Whatever the reason, know that it is a lie from Satan. Prayer is a powerful thing. Everything we do begins and ends with God, so why not talk to Him about it? Trust Him. His plan is better than any we could ever come up with, so ask Him. Talk to Him.
Why do we pray?
There are many reasons why a person would want to pray. In the next section you will find numerous Bible verses that give you a better understanding of what God’s Word has to say on the topic. But there are also personal reasons we pray.
Through the process of praying, we grow. God transforms our hearts. We feel a shift from praying for our requests to be met to feeling God sees you and hears you. It is a relationship, and He loves you and wants to communicate. Just like any other relationship, communication is key to it being healthy and the same is true with your relationship with God.
Prayer shifts your focus from yourself to others and to God. You relinquish control and develop trust in Him to meet needs and respond.
Some personal reasons we pray:
- We have a need. This is the most common time people turn to prayer. And while it is important to bring our needs to the Lord, we need to remember he is not a genie waiting to grant our every wish. Sometimes the answer to prayer is No. (Philippians 4:6)
- Seeking Help and Guidance. This is basically the same as the above – need. But sometimes our need is not a physical one, but rather guidance in a decision or help for healing a broken heart. (Hebrews 4:16)
- Confession. When we confess our sins to God we do so through prayer. (James 5:16)
- Expressions of emotion. Prayer can provide us with an outlet for sharing emotions we are feeling and help us to better identify these feelings and understand them. It also brings us peace and comfort. (Romans 8:26)
- We are thanking Him for something in our life or someone else’s life. We should come to God in gratitude and thank Him for the blessings in our lives and the lives of others. Most people forget to thank Him for answering prayers. It takes practice to get in the habit of thank God instead of just asking all the time. (1 Thessalonians 5:16-18)
- Someone asks us to pray. Praying for others is an act of service and love. It is something we should be doing regularly, whether they ask for prayer or we do it on our own. This is called intercessory prayer. We intercede on their behalf. (1 John 5:14-15)
Why is it so important?
Here is what God’s Word has to say about prayer. And remember – these are not all the times prayer is mentioned. We see prayer mentioned 667 times in the Bible, so this is just a short list of reasons it is important.
- God Commands Us to Pray
Be faithful in prayer (Romans 12:12)
Pray Continually (1 Thessalonians 5:17) - Jesus Modeled Prayer
Mark 1:35, Luke 6:12, Luke 9:29, Mark 6:46, Matthew 26:27, etc. - Scripture emphasizes the importance of prayer
I urge, first of all, that requests, prayers, intercession, and thanksgiving be made for everyone (1 Timothy 2:1) - Prayer Works
Scripture is full of accounts of answered prayers. See Exodus 17:8-16, 1 Kings 18:36, Daniel 6, Acts 12:1-18, Acts 16:25-34, etc.
History is also full of answered prayers. Reformation, revival, the collapse of the Berlin Wall which many prayed for, etc. Look at the greats of these: Martin Luther, John Bunyan, etc. - Prayer Pleases Jesus
This [requests, prayers, intercession, and thanksgiving] is good, and pleases our Savior (1 Timothy 2:3) - Prayer Reminds us that God is in control
Jeremiah 32:16-17 - Through prayer we receive God’s gifts
Ask and it will be given to you (Matthew 7:7, 1 John 5:14-15) - Prayer Provides a foundation for sharing the Gospel
See Colossians 4:2-4, 12 - Prayer plays a significant role in bringing people to salvation
See 1 Timothy 2:1-4 - Prayer is how we receive strength to endure trials
See Philippians 4:6-7 - Prayer prevents us from falling into temptation
See Matthew 26:41 - Prayer gives power over demons
See Mark 9:29 - Prayer brings healing to the nations
See 2 Chronicles 7:14 - Prayer brings healing to the people
See James 5:13-16 - Prayer enhances our fellowship
See Jude 20
Study Questions
- What exactly is prayer?
- Why is prayer important?
- How often should we be praying? In what circumstances is it good to pray?
Think About It
Evaluate your prayer life. Be honest with yourself. Do you pray? If yes, how often? If not, why? What can you do to improve your prayer life?
Discipleship Program Index | Lesson 6 | Lesson 8
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