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What Is The True Meaning of Prayer?

The greater your understanding of what is prayer the better you will pray! Here, as I’m discussing prayer, it’s always to the Lord God.

We petition Him vicariously through His Son, Jesus Christ.

Have you ever experienced a breakthrough after praying for a while? The supernatural power of God is real.

As Believers, we need to focus our faith on God’s miraculous power rather than on our helplessness. So, focus on the spiritual significance of prayer rather than on the natural aspects of it!

When we shift our eyes from fear to faith, everything changes. We must always remind ourselves that our God is able.

We’re too weak, but He is strong. Each narrative in the Bible testifies to this fact. Our Lord is omnipotent. Therefore, let’s look at what prayer is to Him.

What Is Prayer – Definition?

Prayer is a way of communicating with God. It is simply talking to Him. It is neither complicated nor flashy.

God knows and sees the heart of every Believer. As a result, prayer is different from meditation because it is not passive.

It is an active way of talking to the Lord and sharing your life with Him. It invites Him to be a part of your life and to do that which you cannot.

Prayer surrenders us completely to God. We try to play god far too often, even when we know that He’s in charge of it all.

Nevertheless, prayer is very personal. It can be a private conversation between you and God, or it can be a public prayer with other brothers and sisters in Christ. People pray when they’re in great need; they pray when things aren’t going their way.

When Is The Best Time To Pray?

As believers, the Lord calls us to pray at all times. The Bible says in Ephesians 6:18,

“And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the Lord’s people.”

We are supposed to pray in the Spirit on all occasions. Now what does this mean? Therefore, to understand this verse, let us look at another verse, Romans 8:26,

“In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us through wordless groans.”

In reference to the first verse mentioned above, we’re called to pray on all occasions. No, we’re not called to pray only during times of distress or trouble.

Amidst the joy and happiness, we’re to pray. In the middle of our busy schedule, we’re called to pray. Praying in the Spirit is a two-way thing.

The first part of praying in the Spirit is to let go of hypocrisy. It is to remove all pretentiousness and pray with a pure heart and clean hands (Psalm 24:4).

The Spirit Prays For Us!

The second part of praying in the Spirit is to depend on the Holy Spirit completely. Our emotions are complex.

As human beings, we tend to be unsteady. We can sway with the seasons and times of life, but God is constant.

He is also in control of everything. His faithfulness is eternal. He knows our needs and requests even before we submit them to heaven.

Here we look at the second verse mentioned above. The Spirit knows how to pray when we do not. He intercedes for us through wordless groans when we cannot utter a single word.

Praying in the Spirit saturates us with the Spirit of God. It makes His heart known to us. After all, we’re called to live for Him and not for ourselves.

Another important point to note here is that praying in the Spirit isn’t the same as praying in tongues. A lot of Believers make the mistake of considering the two as the same.

What Is Prayer About – The Lord’s Prayer?

What Is The Lord’s Prayer?

While Jesus was here, on earth, his disciples asked him about prayer. Thus, in Matthew 6:9-13, we see Him teaching them to pray.

Here are the actual words of the Lord’s Prayer:

“⁹ After this manner therefore pray ye: Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name.

¹⁰ Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven.

¹¹ Give us this day our daily bread.

¹² And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors.

¹³ And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil: For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever. Amen.”

6 Take Aways From The Lord’s Prayer

1. Recognize and confess the Lord’s rightful place as God. God is your Father; this is an intimate relationship. He isn’t just a Ruler or King. He knows you, sees you, and loves you with an incredible love. Therefore, begin every prayer by recognizing His rightful place in your life.

2. Choose to Worship and Praise Him every time you pray. God is worthy of all our praises. The worship scene in heaven is glorious, as seen in Revelation 4:8, “Each of the four living creatures had six wings and was covered with eyes all around, even under its wings. Day and night they never stop saying: “‘Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God Almighty,’ who was, and is, and is to come.” There is continuous and constant worship in heaven. As such, how can we slack on earth?

No, we’re still human and cannot praise God at all times, but we can do it as much as possible. So let us cultivate an attitude of praise and worship and always begin our prayer with it.

3. Invite His Kingdom and will into your life. Unless and pray for God’s will and wait on Him, we cannot live out our purpose. God’s will never goes against His Word. So we ought to read God’s Word often and write it on the tablets of our hearts. We need to pray and ask God to give us the grace to walk in His ways because we cannot do it in our own strength.

4. Make Your Requests Known to Him. This is where you make your needs and requests known to God. He is our Father, and He will provide for us. Jesus says in Matthew 6:8, “Your Father knows what you need before you ask him.” God already knows. A question that usually pops up here is, why pray and ask when God already knows?

Well, we pray because we humble ourselves before the cross and come with nothing. We know that God is able to do everything, and without His grace, we are nothing. The mere act of breathing occurs because of His absolute grace. If we’re alive and well, it’s all His grace. In the same way, we pray because we confess our lack and His fullness. God loves a humble person, and He laughs at the wisdom of the world. God will take care of our every need (Matthew 6:25-34).

5. Confess your sins. Always, always confess your sins because unconfessed sins cannot be forgiven. A sin has to be confessed in order to be forgiven. The Bible says in 1 John 1:9, “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.” One important part of the Lord’s prayer people usually ignore is forgiveness.

Forgiveness is such an integral part of being a child of God. God sent His only begotten to pay for the sins of those who chose to come to God. When He gave away His everything for you and me, how can we not forgive those who sin against us? How can we be hypocrites?

In terms of unforgiveness, the Bible says in Matthew 6:14-15, “For if you forgive others their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you, but if you do not forgive others their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.” God will not forgive us if we don’t forgive those who sin against us.

Another verse to consider here is Ephesians 4:31-32, “Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice. Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you.” We’ve been called to live lives of compassion and forgiveness. Unforgiveness is the root of all bitterness. We all know what bitterness does to the soul; it is literally a killer.

We must forgive, and forgiveness is a process. It doesn’t happen overnight; it takes time and a lot of effort. It is okay to take your time with the hurt and process it. Don’t rush into forgiveness. Another practical thing to accept here is that the other person may not be ready to confess their sins or accept their wrongdoings. It is okay to just let them be. Forgiveness saves you a lot of pain and hurt; it frees you.

6. Ask for protection from sin and temptation. We cannot live the Christian life in our own strength. We need the constant protection of the Holy Spirit. He is our Helper and Advocate. He intercedes for us when we’re unable to pray for ourselves. The Holy Ghost pleads our case. It is important to talk to God about your flaws and weaknesses. He knows everything and sees it all. He alone is able to keep us from sin.

The Bible talks about God’s protection and faithfulness in Jude 1:24, “To him who is able to keep you from stumbling and to present you before his glorious presence without fault and with great joy.” He is able. Trust Him. Confess and let God take care of the rest. Let Him protect you.

Conclusion:

We’ve seen what prayer is; we have also seen the Lord’s prayer and how it works. Prayer is effective. God hears His children.

So, always trust Him and never give up! Never cease to pray! Pray always!

Thanks to Ismael Paramo for the photo I used above!