What Is Prayer? Why Do We Pray?

　　Prayer is a treasured privilege and mainstay for those who belong to God through the saving work of Jesus’ death and resurrection. The gift of communing with our Creator—child to Father—is the anchor and cornerstone of our life’s journey. For the unbeliever, a prayer cry to know and have a relationship with the Living God is precious and sacred. Repentance and acknowledgment of Christ as Lord leads to walking in joy and fellowship with the One who made us (Romans 10:9-10).

　　So, what is prayer, and what does communing with God look like in our daily lives?

　　

How Does the Bible Define Prayer?

The Bible provides myriad examples of prayer and how to pray. These examples show ordinary men and women laying their hearts before God, seeking Him in humility and praise. The following are several prayers we can ponder today.

　　The apostle Paul exhorted his readers to “not be anxious but pray about everything” (Philippians 4:6). He also prayed that unbelievers would come to a saving knowledge of Christ (Romans 10:1).

　　In fierce opposition, Peter and John prayed for courage to share the Gospel (Acts 4:29) and that God would perform wonders to glorify His Name (Acts 4:30).

　　The early church prayed over each other for healing (James 5:14-15) and the release of those in prison (Acts 12:5). They asked God for wisdom and discernment to carry out their work for the Lord (James 1:5, Philippians 1:9-10).

　　They prayed to know the will of the God they served (Colossians 1:9) and for the ability to grasp the depth of their Savior’s love (Ephesians 3:17-19).

　　Mary prayed in awe and wondered over the news that she bear the Son of God The beauty and humility of her opening words still bring joy to our hearts today. “And Mary said: ‘My soul glorifies the Lord and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior, for he has been mindful of the humble state of his servant’” (Luke 1:46-48).

　　The last prayer of the Bible is short but filled with power and anticipation. The apostle John, confined to the Island of Patmos, penned these brief but hope-filled words. “Amen. Come, Lord Jesus!” (Revelation 22:20).

　　

Why Do We Pray?

We pray to align our hearts with God and to seek His guidance in the moments of our days. We find wonderful examples of this in scripture—from Abraham to David to the prophets—but one of the most powerful examples is in King Hezekiah’s life.

　　King Hezekiah, a God-fearing King, ruled the Southern Kingdom of Judah after the horrific reign of King Ahaz. A tribute to Hezekiah’s depth of character is found in 2 Kings 18:5. “Hezekiah trusted in the LORD, the God of Israel. No one was like him among all the kings of Judah, either before or after him.”

　　After the evil of Ahaz, Hezekiah was a tremendous blessing to the people of Judah. He moved to destroy idol worship, removed the high places that distracted the people from Jerusalem, and even broke the bronze snake of Moses’ day because the people burned incense in its honor (2 Kings 18:3-4).

　　However, amid the good he was doing, Hezekiah was under intense scrutiny and pressure from the evil leader of Assyria, Sennacherib. The Assyrian King repeatedly sent delegations to mock and taunt the nation of Judah, telling the people not to be comforted or fooled by their leader, Hezekiah, because the destruction of their nation was assured. The mighty Assyrians had conquered every other nation around them—why not Judah (2 Kings 18:31-35)?

　　At one point, as the Assyrian delegation mocked Hezekiah’s commitment to God, they left their threats in a letter. The significance of Hezekiah’s response to this evil threat is life-changing. “Hezekiah received the letter from the messengers and read it. Then he went up to the temple of the LORD and spread it out before the LORD” (2 Kings 19:14).

　　As Christ-followers who long to seek God’s heart in all things, we mustn’t miss the magnitude of King Hezekiah’s actions. He took the letter—filled with terrifying details of certain destruction—and spread it out before the Lord.

　　Scripture doesn’t say this good king reread the letter and agonized over every word. He didn’t call endless meetings with his officials to discuss the horrifying details.

　　He read the letter. He went to the temple of God and placed the letter before the Source of all hope and deliverance. God heard his prayer, and the Kingdom of Judah was spared from the attack of the Assyrians (2 Kings 19:20-34).

　　Oh, how I love that God moved through the writers of scripture to record this hope-filled story for us today. And what a powerful, visual example of taking our fears and anxiety to our Heavenly Father.

　　We will face our own “Assyrian Army” on this earthly journey. This may include sickness, grief, job loss, heartache, betrayal, etc. But we can take it all to the One Who created us and knows us to our very depths.

　　(Read King Hezekiah’s amazing prayer in 2 Kings 19:15-19.)

　　

How Is Prayer Different from Meditation?

As followers of Jesus, we are called to devote time to prayer and meditation over His Word. Reading the inspired Word of God and praying as we read is a treasured gift from our Creator. God promises peace to those who keep their minds on Him (Isaiah 26:3). Oh, to linger in quiet moments with Him!

　　But there is a type of meditation in our unbelieving world that we should avoid because of its emptiness and potential dangers. Any practice that directs us to clear or empty our minds is suspect because we are called to fill our hearts and minds with God’s promises and precepts (Psalms 1:2).

　　If our minds are “emptied,” as the world suggests, there is a potential danger for the intake and acceptance of thoughts and philosophies contrary to God’s Word.

　　Recommended

　　9 Ways the Bible Defines True Manliness

　　Additional verses about godly prayer and meditation include Philippians 4:8, Psalm 19:14, Psalm 63:6, Psalm 104:34, and Psalm 119:15.

　　

How Does Jesus Say We Should Pray?

We learn vital aspects of prayer by following Jesus’ example in His years of ministry on this earth. From scripture, we know that Jesus prayed alone (Luke 5:16), He prayed with others (Luke 9:28), and He prayed for others (Matthew 19:30).

　　In Jesus’ earliest teachings on prayer, He begins by urging His disciples to pray with humility, not to be seen and admired. Matthew 6:5 reads, “And when you pray, do not be like the hypocrites, for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the street corners to be seen by others.”

　　And in Matthew 6:7, Jesus focused on praying with humble simplicity, not with endless words and phrases.

　　From there, He moves to the beloved model of prayer still recited around the world today, what we call, The Lord’s Prayer (Matthew 6:9-13). What a moment this must have been for Jesus’ disciples. To learn about prayer from the Author of their faith!

　　In John 17, knowing His time of death was near, Jesus went to His Father in prayer. He prayed that the Father would be glorified through what was to come (John 17:1-5). He prayed for His disciples, that they would be protected and sanctified (John 17:6-18). And then, in a breathtaking moment of love and compassion, Jesus prayed for us.

　　John 17:20-21 reads, “My prayer is not for them alone. I pray also for those who will believe in me through their message, that all of them may be one, Father, just as you are in me and I am in you. May they also be in us so that the world may believe that you have sent me.”

　　And in the Garden of Gethsemane, before laying down His life for the redemption of sinners, Jesus lay His deepening sorrow before the Father. Three times He asked that, if possible, the path before Him could be changed (Matthew 26:39-44). But ultimately, for the joy set before Him (Hebrews 12:2), He surrendered to the will of God. “My Father, if it is not possible for this cup to be taken away unless I drink it, may your will be done” (Matthew 26:42).

　　Even on the cross, Jesus prayed. He cried out to His Father seeking forgiveness for His persecutors (Luke 23:34), to express agony over the temporary separation from His Father (Matthew 27:46), and to breathe His last words as He laid down His life for us all (Luke 23:46).

　　What is prayer? Prayer is a priceless gift from a loving Father to His children. What a joy to walk each moment in close, sacred fellowship with our Creator.

　　“Call to me and I will answer you and tell you great and unsearchable things you do not know” (Jeremiah 33:3).

　　If you enjoyed this article on prayer, you may enjoy this perspective by Dr. Jack Graham:

　　

If God is All-Knowing, Why Do We Pray?

　　"Prayer is communication with God. It is not only talking to God, but it is listening to God. And we are to pray, first and foremost, because we are commanded to pray. It is an act of obedience. I may not always understand the process of prayer or the behind-the-scenes work of prayer, but God wants me to depend upon him and to ask him for those things that are needed most in life. Yes, God is going to give us good things. He's going to provide for us. But it's clear in scripture that we have not because we ask not. And they're just too many scriptures that tell us that we're to pray. And if we don't pray, we limit what God will choose to do in our lives. It is the process.

　　I read a book years ago called The Cycle of Prayer, which indicates that the prayer that starts in heaven is the prayer that gets to heaven. And that simply means that there's a need that God wants to fulfill, a desire in the heart of God, that by the Holy Spirit he sends it down to my heart as I am sensitive, as I am listening, as I'm reading God's word. God puts a desire in my heart. God allows a need in my life. And what I do in prayer is simply close the cycle. I close the circle by taking what God has placed in my heart and sending it back to him.

　　And every time God answers prayer, it strengthens our faith. Every time we get an answer and God delivers in his own way, in his own time, we develop as disciples in Christ. So of all the things Jesus taught, he was a great preacher and communicator, obviously, but when the disciples came to him, they didn't say, 'Lord, teach us to preach.' They said, 'Lord, teach us to pray.' There was something about the prayer life of Jesus that was so powerful, so persuasive that these men wanted to know how do we pray like that. And so getting in touch with God, knowing God, growing in our faith, getting the things that we need, all of this comes from the hand of God. I believe in prayer, and not just the idea of prayer, but I believe God really answers prayer." - Dr. Jack Graham, PowerPoint Ministries

　　Further Reading:

　　Learning to Pray… Again

　　Pray Like This: Hallowed Be Your Name

　　Do You Pray?

　　What Should We Pray For?