July 3, 2025
Prayer is a central part of a Christian’s relationship with God, as it is our main means of communicating directly with Him. During His time on earth, Jesus set an example of prayer; we read in the Bible that He prayed often: “Jesus often withdrew to lonely places and prayed” (Luke 5:16). If Jesus—the Son of God—communed often with the Father, it stands to reason that we need to do so as well.
God seeks a personal relationship with each of us, and He wants it to be the deepest, most meaningful part of our lives. Through prayer, a wonderful new dimension is added to all that we do—the dimension of His loving presence in our lives. Like any deep and lasting friendship, our relationship with God is strengthened and grows through our frequent, honest, open communication. That’s what prayer is all about: communicating heart-to-heart with the Lord.
Prayer can take on many forms. As Christians, we are called to pray to Him personally, to pray with others, to intercede for others in prayer, and to pray without ceasing. We can talk to Him just as we would to a good friend. We can talk to Him aloud or in our mind. We can tell Him what’s on our heart. We can pray a written prayer, such as the “Our Father” prayer that Jesus taught His disciples to pray (Matthew 6:9–13).
In the Bible, prayer is described as pouring out one’s soul to the Lord (1 Samuel 1:15), crying out to heaven (2 Chronicles 32:20), drawing near to God (James 4:8), and kneeling before the Father (Ephesians 3:14). We can pray anywhere at any time. We can pray kneeling, sitting, or standing. Prayer can be formal or informal. You don’t have to be in a church or any special place to pray. We can gather with other Christians to pray, we can pray with family and friends, and we can pray when we are alone. Prayer connects our heart with God’s heart, regardless of our surroundings.
Many people associate prayer with asking God for things, but prayer is first and foremost our intimate communion with God. It starts with worship and acknowledgment of who God is, His love and care for us as His creations, and His wonderful blessings and provision of all that is good. In the book of Acts, we read these resounding words from the Apostle Paul, “The God who made the world and everything in it is the Lord of heaven and earth and does not live in temples built by human hands. And he is not served by human hands, as if he needed anything. Rather, he himself gives everyone life and breath and everything else” (Acts 17:24–25).
We approach God, our creator and the ruler of the universe, in an attitude of reverence and deep love and gratitude for His love, mercy, and salvation—His unmerited favor (Ephesians 2:8–9).
When Jesus prays in the Gospels, He addresses God as “Father,” and He taught His followers to do so as well. Addressing God as Abba (Father) represents the personal relationship we are privileged to have with God because of the gift of salvation (John 1:12). As the sons and daughters of God, we pray to God our Father. “And because you are sons, God has sent the Spirit of His Son into our hearts, crying, ‘Abba! Father!’” (Galatians 4:6–7).
The Bible refers to prayer not only as an activity but as a lifestyle, which is often connected with joy. We are told to “rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will in Christ Jesus for you” (1 Thessalonians 5:16–18). We are not called to be thankful for every circumstance and situation we face, but to be thankful in every circumstance, as we commit each one to God. “Devote yourselves to prayer, being watchful and thankful” (Colossians 4:2), and “Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer” (Romans 12:12).
God wants you to tell Him all your desires and needs, and to share all your concerns with Him. In Philippians we read, “Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done” (Philippians 4:6). You can take time in prayer to tell the Lord that you love Him and how thankful you are for all the good things He sends your way. You can share your hopes and desires, problems and questions with Him, and He will give you strength, inspiration, reassurance, and the guidance you need.
God also wants to communicate with you, to provide encouragement, guidance, comfort, and strength to meet life’s challenges with faith. He will speak to you through His written Word in the Bible, and His “still, small voice” speaks to your heart as you seek Him in prayer (1 Kings 19:12). As you study His Word, His Spirit can reveal to you how to apply what you are reading to yourself and the situations around you and in the world. “The Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, he will teach you all things and bring to your remembrance all that I have said to you” (John 14:26).
We may not always see the answer to our prayers immediately or in the way we expected it, but we can be confident that He always hears us. “This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us. And if we know that he hears us—whatever we ask—we know that we have what we asked of him” (1 John 5:14–15).
There are many benefits to spending time with the Lord and cultivating a vibrant prayer life. Prayer brings peace to our lives, as we place everything that concerns us into His hands, with “prayer and supplication with thanksgiving.” As we do so, we experience His peace: “And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 4:6–7).
Prayer changes things, starting with ourselves. Our faith grows through prayer. Time spent in quiet reflection and communion with God builds our faith and inner strength that will help us to navigate through life’s toughest times. “On the day I called, you answered me; my strength of soul you increased” (Psalm 138:3). Once you have committed a matter to God in prayer, you can then have the assurance that He will take care of it in accordance with His will.
Through prayer, you will find rest and renewal when your spirit is sagging and your mind is troubled. “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls” (Matthew 11:28–29).
You will find comfort in times of sadness and grief, reassurance when you’re down and out, and courage to go on when you think you cannot continue onward. “Let us then approach God’s throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need” (Hebrews 4:16).
Jesus will guide you through the maze of life. He will help you know what to do when you face problems and tough decisions. He has promised to instruct you, establish your thoughts, and guide your steps. “In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct your paths” (Proverbs 3:6). “Your ears shall hear a word behind you, saying, ‘This is the way, walk in it,’ when you turn to the right or when you turn to the left” (Isaiah 30:21).
When we pray and confess our sins, we receive forgiveness for wrongdoing. “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness” (1 John 1:9).
Through prayer we bring our petitions to God and trust in Him to provide according to His good will and purposes: “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 he who seeks finds, and to the one who knocks it will be opened” (Matthew 7:7–8). We can claim God’s promises of supply for our needs. “My God will meet all your needs according to the riches of his glory in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 4:19).
On the wings of prayer our burdens take flight
And our load of care becomes bearably light
And our heavy hearts are lifted above
To be healed by the balm of God’s wonderful love,
And the tears in our eyes are dried by the hands
Of a loving Father who understands
All of our problems, our fears and despair,
When we take them to Him on the wings of prayer.
—Helen Steiner Rice
The Bible also teaches us to intercede in prayer for others. Jesus set the example in John 17, as He prayed to the Father for His disciples. In 1 Timothy 2:1, Paul implores that “petitions, prayers, intercession and thanksgiving be made for all people.” We should never underestimate the importance of praying for others, as “the earnest prayer of a righteous person has great power and produces wonderful results” (James 5:16).
The Lord often uses people as His agents on earth, so it could well be that He also wants to use us to play a role in bringing about the answer to prayers for the situation. Our prayers for others show our concern for them and their well-being, and this positions us to better understand His loving plan for their lives and how we can play a role in helping to bring it to pass. When we pray for someone who is sick, for example, He may guide us to help to strengthen their faith and help cause their relationship with Him to blossom.
God needs our service, and He wants to use us as one of His instruments to help accomplish His will “on earth as it is in heaven” (Matthew 6:10)—both through our prayers and our lives and actions. He especially needs us to point others to Him and share the good news of His love and salvation by being an example of His loving ways to them. Our service to Him starts with our personal relationship with Him and communion with Him.
The Lord desires loving fellowship and heart-to-heart communication with His children, and He wants to have first place in our hearts and lives. He loves us and is eager to communicate with us. As we spend time with Him in prayer, He works in our hearts and lives and transforms us through His Spirit to become more like Him. “We all, who with unveiled faces contemplate the Lord’s glory, are being transformed into his image with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit” (2 Corinthians 3:18).
Published on Anchor July 2025. Read by Reuben Ruchevsky.
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