The most basic definition of prayer is “talking to God.” Prayer is not meditation or passive reflection; it is direct address to God. It is the communication of the human soul with the Lord who created the soul. Prayer is the primary way for the believer in Jesus Christ to communicate his emotions and desires with God and to fellowship with God.
Prayer can be audible or silent, private or public, formal or informal. All prayer must be offered in faith (James 1:6), in the name of the Lord Jesus (John 16:23), and in the power of the Holy Spirit (Romans 8:26). As the International Standard Bible Encyclopedia puts it, “Christian prayer in its full New Testament meaning is prayer addressed to God as Father, in the name of Christ as Mediator, and through the enabling grace of the indwelling Spirit” (“Prayer” by J. C. Lambert). The wicked have no desire to pray (Psalm 10:4), but the children of God have a natural desire to pray (Luke 11:1).
Prayer is described in the Bible as seeking God’s favor (Exodus 32:11), pouring out one’s soul to the Lord (1 Samuel 1:15), crying out to heaven (2 Chronicles 32:20), drawing near to God (Psalm 73:28, KJV), and kneeling before the Father (Ephesians 3:14).
Paul wrote, “Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 4:6–7). Worry about nothing; pray about everything.
Everything? Yes, God wants us to talk with Him about everything. How often should we pray? The biblical answer is “pray without ceasing” (1 Thessalonians 5:17). We should keep a running conversation going with God all day long. Some find the ACTS formula of prayer helpful, but there is really no special formula for how to pray in the Bible. We should just do it. We can pray under any and all circumstances. Prayer develops our relationship with God and demonstrates our trust and utter dependence upon Him.
Prayer is the Christian’s way of communicating with God. We pray to praise God and thank Him and tell Him how much we love Him. We pray to enjoy His presence and tell Him what is going on in our lives. We pray to make requests and seek guidance and ask for wisdom. God loves this exchange with His children, just as we love the exchange we have with our children. Fellowship with God is the heart of prayer. Too often we lose sight of how simple prayer is really supposed to be.
When we make petitions to God, we let God know exactly where we stand and what we would like to see happen. In our prayers, we must admit that God is greater than we are and ultimately knows what is best in any given situation (Romans 11:33–36). God is good and asks us to trust Him. In prayer, we say, essentially, “Not my will, but your will be done.” The key to answered prayer is praying according to the will of God and in accordance with His Word. Prayer is not seeking our own will but seeking to align ourselves with the will of God more fully (1 John 5:14–15; James 4:3).
The Bible contains many examples of prayer and plenty of exhortations to pray (see Luke 18:1; Romans 12:12; and Ephesians 6:18). God’s house is to be a house of prayer (Mark 11:17), and God’s people are to be people of prayer: “Dear friends, by building yourselves up in your most holy faith and praying in the Holy Spirit, keep yourselves in God’s love” (Jude 1:20–21).
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Prayer is so powerful! Great post.
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I love your blog! I have to confess you’re an inspiration to me and I’m visiting more often as I need all I can get. My little wife Rina is probably the most godly person I’ve ever known. Naturally we pray to be more Christ-like, but if I could just be like Rina, I know I’ll be saved. Keep up the excellent work!
Steve
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Steve;
I wish to thank you for your kindest of words. For the inspiration you have received I must say the glory and praise goes to God. And to the Holy spirit for guiding you to my site.
There are, however, two matters within your comments of which cause me concern. Your uncertainty concerning your own salvation and the apparent envy of your wife’s relationship with God. both of which are contained within the same sentence: ” but if I could just be like Rina, I know I’ll be saved.”
I know you love your wife and admire her and her qualities. To do so is Biblical. We find in 1 Peter 3:7 “Husbands, in the same way be considerate as you live with your wives, and treat them with respect as the weaker partner and as heirs with you of the gracious gift of life, so that nothing will hinder your prayers.”
Christian wives desire godly leadership, not dictatorship. However, a man cannot lead where he has not been; which brings us to your own insecurity concerning your salvation. A leader goes first, forging the way, wrestling through spiritual issues and then presenting God’s instruction to his family. An ongoing personal relationship with Jesus is crucial in order to lead a family spiritually. God holds men responsible for the spiritual and physical well-being of their families (1 Timothy 5:8). Even though the wife may be better at teaching and leading, this is still the husband’s responsibility. He must lead by example in church attendance, Bible reading, prayer, and spiritual disciplines. It is difficult for a Christian wife to respect her husband in other areas when he has not been consistent in leading her spiritually.
I have several posts I’d like for you to look at, Steve. (1): “Once saved always saved.”. and (2)”What does it mean that love does not envy?”
If you accept Christ as your Lord and Savior, believing He died for your sins and was raised from the dead – then you are saved by Grace. Believe that God will never leave you nor forsake you. You are a child of the most High God; a joint heir with Christ in eternal life. Be confident in God’s plans for you and your family, Steve.
If you have any additional questions, please, do not hesitate to ask. I am here for you.
May the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob bless and keep you and yours always.
Yours in Christ;
Michael
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Thank you for your most welcomed reply and I had a feeling that I might portray a certain “envy” towards my wife’s spiritual life. Hmmm … I surely didn’t mean it that way. I originally met my wife in 1972. We both attended a church which was involved in missionary works. I spent 13 years involved there. She 26 years. She had married another guy and I married another lady in the early days. We were only friends, brother and sister in Christ. After I left that particular ministry we lost contact for almost 25 years. Long story, but a “fluke,” if you will, got us back in contact. Both our original marriages had failed. I flew out to Fresno from Texas, we got married and I moved her out here to my home. 7 glorious years ago.
Simply put I admire my wife for what she went through for many years winding up living in poverty yet she never let anything deter her from continuing seeking Christ and His mercy and grace.
The bottom line is even after 44 years of Bible study literally cover to cover, fasting, prayer, witnessing, etc. I still struggle with being the person that I know I should be. She and I both know our place in the home (family) and realize that salvation is a work in progress for all of us. I’ll check out the links you sent later today. Thank you for all you do.
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Steve;
I am so sorry for not getting back to you right away. Please forgive me for this.
It sounds as though you, and your wife, Rina, have a blessed life together. One in which you both should take great delight and be most thankful for.
In your first correspondence with me you emphasized that you and your wife were praying and striving to be more Christ like. In your correspondence, of which I respond today, you emphasize that you are “still struggle with being the person that I know I should be.” I have a news flash for you Steve; “all Christians struggle daily to be the person they know they should be.” Whether in thought, action or deed we all fall short of being godly and Christ like. For none are righteous.
The Greek New Testament word for righteousness primarily describes conduct in relation to others, especially with regards to the rights of others in business, in legal matters, and beginning with relationship to God. It is contrasted with wickedness, the conduct of the one who, out of gross self-centeredness, neither reveres God nor respects man. The Bible describes the righteous person as just or right, holding to God and trusting in Him (Psalm 33:18-22).
The bad news is that true and perfect righteousness is not possible for man to attain on his own; the standard is simply too high. The good news is that true righteousness is possible for mankind, but only through the cleansing of sin by Jesus Christ and the indwelling of the Holy Spirit. We have no ability to achieve righteousness in and of ourselves. But Christians possess the righteousness of Christ, because “God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God” (2 Corinthians 5:21). This is an amazing truth. On the cross, Jesus exchanged our sin for His perfect righteousness so that we can one day stand before God and He will see not our sin, but the holy righteousness of the Lord Jesus.
This means that we are made righteous in the sight of God; that is, that we are accepted as righteous, and treated as righteous by God on account of what the Lord Jesus has done. He was made sin; we are made righteousness. On the cross, Jesus was treated as if he were a sinner, though he was perfectly holy and pure, and we are treated as if we were righteous, though we are defiled and depraved. On account of what the Lord Jesus has endured on our behalf, we are treated as if we had entirely fulfilled the Law of God, and had never become exposed to its penalty. We have received this precious gift of righteousness from the God of all mercy and grace. To Him be the glory!
: Proverbs 15:9 says, “The LORD detests the way of the wicked, but he loves those who pursue righteousness.” If God wants us to pursue righteousness, then what about verses such as Romans 3:10 that say, “There is none righteous, no not one”? If no one is righteous, then who can really pursue it? Are those verses contradictory?
Before we can pursue righteousness, we need to define it. The word most often translated “righteousness” can also mean “justice, justness, or divine holiness.” In the broadest sense, righteousness can be defined as “the condition of being acceptable to God as made possible by God.” God’s standard is what defines true righteousness; His power is what enables it. Unless God is its author, we will never possess righteousness. No amount of man-made effort will result in righteousness. To be righteous is to be right with God. A heart that is right with God results in a life that bears “fruit” (John 15:1–2; Mark 4:20). Galatians 5:22 lists some of that fruit.
Steve, I think you are being way to hard on yourself. In essence, from all you have said, “44 years of Bible study,” “fasting,” prayer,” witnessing,” etc.. I could only add: Christ tells us “[13] For you, brothers, were called to freedom; but do not use your freedom as an opportunity for the flesh. Rather, serve one another in love. [14] The entire Law is fulfilled in a single decree: “Love your neighbor as yourself.” Galatians 5:13-14 If you are doing all of these, as a man to please God and in seeking the Kingdom of God, then you have nothing to fear.
May the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob bless and keep you and yours always.
Yours in Christ;
Michael
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Thank you Michael for your kind words and insight into the scriptures.
I don’t brother. I’ve been in a ‘funk’ lately … extremely depressed and lonely because I feel so far removed from God. Anyway, I continue to hope and trust in His mercy.
Maybe the Lord bless and keep you and your loved ones in His grace.
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Steve;
I think, too, that often many of us feel distant from God. As though we have suffered a disconnect from Him; leaving us, as you say, in a funk, distant and depressed in spirit. At those points in our lives we need to be “refocusing life on Jesus.” I’m going to share another post of which I want you to read and take to heart. It’s called “What are some encouraging Bible verses?”
I think, at times, God tests our faith. Doing so by taking us to a low point or a point of despair. Doing so does not please God; but rather it is a means of His preparing us for a blessing. Of course both are conditional. I’m not comparing your situation with that of Job; but consider Job and what all he went through. To Job God never seemed further away and all the while Satan poured on more and more and more onto him. All under the watchful eye of God. God never intervened, not once; but instead watched everything Job possessed fade away. Now no one could have been more discouraged, forlorn or depressed than Job.
Steve, I have to tell you I have been where you are and I can tell you this: “God never leaves us nor forsakes us.” All I’ve ever had to do is forget my self indulging pity party long enough to think about Job and all he had gone through; to think what it must of been like for Daniel faced with the lions den; how Abraham was asked to sacrifice his son of whom he and Sara awaited long into their elderly year to share. And What should we learn from the account of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego?
Each of these persons had one very important thing in common: they had faith in the One True and Almighty God. And each gave thanks to God for whatever He bestowed upon them – good or bad. give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus. 1 Thessalonians 5:18 always giving thanks to God the Father for everything, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. Ephesians 5:20
First Thessalonians 5:18 says, “In everything give thanks; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.” We are to be thankful not only for the things we like, but for the circumstances we don’t like. When we purpose to thank God for everything that He allows to come into our lives, we keep bitterness at bay. We cannot be both thankful and bitter at the same time. We do not thank Him for evil, but that He is sustaining us through it (James 1:12). We don’t thank Him for harm He did not cause, but we thank Him when He gives us the strength to endure it (2 Corinthians 12:9). We thank Him for His promise that “all things will work together for the good, to those who love God and are called according to His purpose” (Romans 8:28). And read Psalms 100 In all things and matter take it to the Lord in prayer, Steve.
You and your family have a blessed life; don’t hide it from God how you’re feeling. My prayers are with you and yours always.
May the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob bless and keep you and yours.
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