What is Prayer?
Do you feel that you lack strength and motivation for prayer? Do you sometimes feel that you are not heard when you pray? Did you know there’s a specific way to pray? Maybe you’ve been praying amiss all this while. In this article, we offer in-depth knowledge about prayer – everything you need to know about it. This article contains information about the meaning of prayer, the reasons why we pray, what to pray about, the benefits of prayer, and the types of prayer. Your life will never be the same after reading this article.
So what at all is prayer?
What comes into mind when you hear the word ‘prayer’? Confused as to what exactly that word means?
Prayer is a communication between God and man. Meaning it is a dialogue we have with God. In prayer, we do not only speak to God but he speaks to us as well.
Job 22:27. You will pray to him, and he will hear you, and you will fulfill your vows. Fulfilling your vows would definitely happen when your prayers are answered. This clearly shows that prayer is a dialogue.
According to Matthew 7:7 “Ask, and it shall be given to you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you”
The word “ask” is “Aiteo” in Greek and it means to ask, to call for, to crave, and to desire. The word “give” means to supply, furnish, deliver, and make available. It all means that when you desire something from God, he will make it available to you.
Prayer is the practice of the presence of God. In prayer, pride is abandoned, hope is lifted and supplication is made.
Why do we need to pray?
People have interesting reasons why they pray but what are God’s reasons? Why are we told to pray fervently? This is what God wants for us.
‘Ephesians 1:17-18’ That the God of our Lord Jesus Christ may give unto you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of Him.
It’s important for our eyes to be enlightened about the knowledge and wisdom of God concerning our lives. Seeing is important. You need to see what God has for you, your family, and other areas of your life. These points clearly stated below give in-depth explanations of the reasons why we pray.
- Prayer brings the desires of God from heaven to earth. As we pray to God, we should be prepared to hear His voice because he brings His desires from heaven to the earth through man. Through prayer, we become a pipeline for God to reach the earth.
Matthew 6:10 Your kingdom comes, you will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.
Hebrews 4:14 Therefore, since we have a great high priest who has ascended into heaven, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold firmly to the faith we profess.
- It activates the God-life in you.
In Matthew 6:9-15, God, through the Lord’s prayer, laid down a pattern to follow when praying. By following the pattern, we focus on His need and so our needs are met in return. The more we communicate with God through prayer, the more our spirit man is lifted, and the more we begin to act like God.
Haven’t you realized that you can begin to talk like and even have a striking resemblance with someone you spend a lot of time with? A typical example is that of a couple. They start looking alike after some time. The resemblance isn’t just because they live together but because they spend time together. They meet each other’s needs and that is why they live peacefully and begin to have such striking looks. Our relationship with God is not an exemption.
- Prayer is our winning weapon in the invisible world.
Matthew 26:41 “All of you must stay awake and pray that you won’t be tempted. The spirit is indeed willing, but the body is weak.”
Luke 22:31 “And the Lord said, Simon, Simon, behold, Satan hath desired to have you, that he may sift you as wheat: But I have prayed for thee, that thy faith fails not: and when thou art converted, strengthen thy brethren.”
The plan of the enemy has been the same through the ages and that is to get people to doubt God. The strategy to overcome this has been the same since time immemorial. Watch and pray.
When we pray, we are made firm in His faith and as such, we are able to stand the trials of life. There are battles and wars taking place in the invisible world each and every day. Prayer enables us to fight and overcome these battles.
- Prayer opens the door for miracles.
Luke 5:16 “However, he continued his habit of retiring to deserted places and praying…” and after Jesus prayed he healed a paralyzed man in Luke 5:17-20.
When we pray, the unexpected happens: the sick are healed, the broken heart is mended, and many other miraculous events take place. When we pray frequently, we are not like dry leaves which wither but we are evergreen, both spiritually and physically.
Luke 6:12 “Now it was in those days that Jesus went to a mountain to pray, and he spent the whole night in prayer to God.”
When you pray frequently and fervently, your soul is lit up and everything becomes new and fresh in your life.
- Prayer makes us rule in authority.
Colossians 2:15 On the cross, Christ won the fight against all the bad spirits that have authority. He beat them completely. He took all their weapons away from them. He showed everyone that he is the ruler over all these other powerful spirits. EasyEnglish
When we pray, we are made men and women of authority. This means that it is in prayer that we exercise authority over principalities and all situations of life.
To sum it all up, there is a need for us to pray and as Believers, it is our number one duty to pray. We must pray without ceasing (1 Thessalonians 5:17 ) KJV. Also, we must learn to listen to the voice of God as we pray, and heed His voice and His will for us.
TAKE THIS INTO CONSIDERATION WHEN PRAYING
A lot of people ask questions concerning how to pray the right prayers so they can be heard by God. Most people are confused when it comes to what they should consider before starting to pray. This actually prevents a lot of people from actually praying because they don’t want to hurt God with their words or disrespect Him. The answers to these questions are below.
- Know that God is not a man.
Numbers 23:19. God is not a man that he should lie nor the son of man that he should repent. Had he said and had he spoken and had he not done?
The rules of men do not apply to GOD. He doesn’t lie, meaning he cannot disappoint you. You just go to Him knowing that he will give you whatever you ask for. He will definitely give you answers as to what to do.
1 Timothy 1:17. Now onto the King eternal ( he’s one without an end. he never leaves you hanging. he will bring you to an expected end. All he’s interested in is an eternity).
- God doesn’t take back what he gives
Whatever He gives is everlasting. This means He doesn’t take back anything He gives to you when you pray so have confidence in God when you pray and have confidence that he will never take away anything he has given to you. It is His blessing to you.
For the gifts and calling are without repentance. Romans 11:29
Go to God and not to man for your heart desires because God doesn’t take back anything he gives to you.
Proverbs 10:22 The blessing of the Lord maketh rich and it adds no sorrow with it.
God gives you the best when you seek His face and He never takes away anything He gives to you. Go God’s way because He adds no sorrow with the blessing He grants you. Who would you rather go to if not to God?
- Know that He’s The Invisible God.
Whatever He does for us may not be visible to our five senses. The reason you cannot see Him is that you cannot relate to spiritual things with your physical senses so we don’t seem to notice that God is always with us, but He is. That’s why he said without faith it is impossible to please Him. (Hebrews 11:6)
What the eye has not seen nor ear heard is what God has planned for you.
Whenever you come to God for something, you have to think about what you can’t see and forget about what you can see. The truth is, if He’s to let you see the whole plan of your life to the end, you may not appreciate it now. He wants it to be unfolded gradually. This also means He can do whatever that hasn’t been done before, what one cannot imagine. So whenever you come to Him, look at what he has seen and what He can make out of you and the situation you find yourself in. Remember how Moses parted the red sea? That had never been done before. No eye had seen that before.
John 5:37 And the Father who sent Me, he has testified of Me. You have neither heard His voice at any time nor seen His form.
- He’s the only wise GOD
Now to the King eternal, immortal, invisible, and the only wise God.
He forms the best plans and the best means of executing them. An example is that of David and Goliath. God gave David the best way to execute the mission to kill Goliath. God is skilled. He has laid down certain plans for you. He is wiser than any other god. Stick to the plans of God, whether you know them or not. Just tell Him you want to stick with His and you will succeed in every area of your life.
Job 12:13 With Him are wisdom and might; To Him belong counsel and understanding.
HOW TO PRAY
Ever wondered how you need to pray in order for your prayers to get to the Father in heaven? Do you find it difficult praying according to the Word of God? This is exactly how you need to pray as a child of God.
- Pray in tongues. Start by speaking in tongues. The Bible says when you speak in tongues, you speak directly to God (1 Corinthians 14:2-3). Not even Satan understands what you are saying. I call praying in tongues the perfect prayer because all the utterance comes from the Holy Spirit. (Romans 8:26). It is a free gift from the Holy Spirit.
- Avoid praying like a hypocrite
When you pray you shall not be like the hypocrites for they like to pray to stand in the synagogue on the corners of the streets that they may be seen by men, surely I say to you they have their reward. Matthew 6:1-34
Take heed that ye do not your alms before men, to be seen of them: otherwise, ye have no reward of your Father which is in heaven.
It doesn’t mean praying in the church or in the corners of the streets is bad but wanting to do this because you want to be seen by men is. Don’t try to make a show of prayer to acquire stardom and remember that you will get your reward but it ends there. It doesn’t go to bless anyone. It also means that some people pray for certain things in order to get back at others. Don’t pray for things because you want to prove others wrong or hurt them. A typical example is praying to get a car in order to bring someone to church. That is a great prayer topic or motive behind a prayer.
Whatever you ask God for should glorify his name, not you. Pray for something that will bless others. Eternity should be your focus. Never pray to bring someone down or for someone to die. You become the devil’s ally when you use prayer to bring another person down.
Beware of the teachers of the law. They like to walk around in flowing robes and love to be greeted with respect in the marketplaces and have the most important seats in the synagogues and the places of honor at banquets. They devour widows’ houses and for a show make lengthy prayers. These men will be punished most severely.
- Pray as Jesus taught us to
But thou, when thou prayeth enter into the closet and your Father who sees in secret shall reward you. When you pray, use not vain (idle words) repetition.
- All you need do is enter into your closet and pick everything God has already given you and profess and confess it and it’s done. You get into the closet of your mind.
- Shut the door to the voice of the devil. Shut the door to condemnation and everything that doesn’t pertain to God’s Word. It also means don’t consider what is out there. Close the door to doubt and look to Jesus.
- Never allow your mind to roam about as you pray. Focus on what’s in your closet and confess them. Be busy about what Jesus has done for you. Keep focused.
He went in, therefore, and shut the door upon them twain, and prayed unto the LORD
If you receive the witness of men, the witness of God is greater.
- Close the door to what people think and focus on what God is saying. Do not look around when praying, thinking about the comments people might have made about you. Focus on what you are doing in your closet.
- Do not use idle words. God doesn’t answer prayers that don’t conform to His will. So whenever you are praying, use the Word of God. Don’t pray for the downfall of others. Don’t pray for your brother or sister to fail. That is against God’s Word.
‘And your Father who sees in secret shall reward you Matthew 6:7
Whenever you enter your closet to pick clothing to wear, you come out looking glorious. It becomes extremely obvious that you have entered your closet. It will be evident to all and they will give the glory to The Father in heaven.
TYPES OF PRAYER
It’s very interesting to know that there are types of prayer. A lot of people know they have to pray but are not aware that there are different types of prayer.
- Prayer of consecration
Matthew 26:39. Living according to God’s Word is consecration. Consecration means having intimacy with the Holy Spirit continually as you separate yourself unto him. This is the ‘give me You, everything else can wait’ kind of prayer. You want Him to use you however and whenever he wants to. Want to know Him more and more?
His mother saith unto the servants, Whatever he saith unto you, do it.
- Prayer of supplication
Ephesians 1:15-19, 3:14-19. Praying for a brother or a sister. Believers praying for each other.
And who also told us of your love in the Spirit.
For this reason, since the day we heard about you, we have not stopped praying for you. We continually ask God to fill you with the knowledge of his will through all the wisdom and understanding that the Spirit gives, so that you may live a life worthy of the Lord and please him in every way: bearing fruit in every good work, growing in the knowledge of God, being strengthened with all power according to His glorious might so that you may have great endurance and patience.
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.
- Prayer of intercession
This is the type of prayer offered for unbelievers. We pray for God’s intervention for their souls. Sometimes, we intercede for a believer who is in trouble and needs deliverance.
Philippians 1:19
For I know that this will turn out for my deliverance through your prayers and the provision of the Spirit of Jesus Christ.
Romans 10:1-4
Brethren, my heart’s desire and my prayer to God for them is for their salvation. For I testify about them that they have a zeal for God, but not in accordance with knowledge. By not knowing about God’s righteousness and seeking to establish their own, they did not subject themselves to the righteousness of God. For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to everyone who believes.
- Prayer of confession of sins
We live under grace and God doesn’t consider our sin but we must acknowledge that what is wrong is wrong and ask for help. God has washed our sins with the blood of Jesus. Our past, present, and future sins are already forgiven. Jesus did it once and for all. However, if you don’t repent about some acts in prayer, it can destabilize the flow between you and God. It will disturb your flow with the Holy Spirit. Be humble and apologize to the Holy Spirit and seek grace to overcome sinful acts.
Whoever conceals their sins does not prosper, but the one who confesses and renounces them finds mercy.
When anyone becomes aware that they are guilty in any of these matters, they must confess in what way they have sinned.
- The Prayer of Faith
This is a prayer based on the promises of God for your life which are clearly stated in His Word (the Bible). With this type of prayer, there are no doubts, you believe in whatever He said He will do for you and pray according to it. This type of prayer is the exercise of faith and hope. It is the privilege of touching the heart of God through the son of God, Jesus our Lord by believing in His word.
And Jesus answering saith unto them, Have Faith In God.
And the prayer of faith shall save the sick, and the Lord shall raise him up, and if he has committed sins, they shall be forgiven him.
- The Prayer of Commitment
The word ‘commitment’ means to give over to another, to entrust, to pledge, and to obligate oneself. This prayer can be used to commit yourself to carrying out the will of God that has been revealed to you. It encourages us to surrender those things we cannot control and not allow them to be a distraction to our prayer life.
Acts 2:42They were continually devoting themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread, and to prayer.
Deuteronomy 10:12Now, Israel, what does the LORD your God require from you, but to fear the LORD your God, to walk in all His ways and love Him, and to serve the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul.
- The Prayer of Worship
Praise is about what God has done. He has saved you, delivered you from trouble, put food on your table, and many other things but worship is about who God is. He is awesome, wonderful, holy, omnipresent, and omnipotent. Worship is spiritual lovemaking, the adoration that awakens your inner man and takes you into the very presence of God. Everything in you will focus on loving, praising, and worshipping God. (Psalms 22:3, 119:164, 107:8, & 138:2-4)
Psalm 22:3
But thou art holy, O thou that inhabitest the praises of Israel.
Seven times a day I praise you for your righteous laws.
- The quiet prayer
With this type of prayer, one doesn’t need to shout or pray at the top of their voice. God is in you and he hears your thoughts so you can sometimes whisper a prayer to him. This is how you can pray without ceasing – constantly communicating with the father in your heart.
- The Loud Prayer
This is the total opposite of quiet prayer. Sometimes, you need to become aggressive in order to get the kind of results you need. Sometimes you need to get angry spiritually. ‘The violent taketh it by force
- Long and short prayers
- Speaking in tongues –In Acts 4, Peter mentioned the Apostles giving themselves over to the ministry of the word and to “the prayer”. The prayer he was referring to was speaking in tongues. Speaking in tongues has so many benefits which are outlined in 1 Corinthians 14 and Romans 8:26.
BENEFITS OF PRAYER
People complain about what they stand to gain from praying. They ask questions like “Does God really hear me when I pray?”, “Why do I even need to spend hours praying?”, “What do I stand to gain?”. This will clear all your doubts.
- Prayer makes you focused whenever you pray and God gives you a word concerning your life or a situation, and you hold on to it. You don’t ever want to let it go. But when you haven’t prayed, you dwell on negativity. You actually become anxious about the situation.
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.
- Prayer makes you bold and it increases your thinking capacity
And this is the confidence that we have toward Him, that if we ask anything according to HIS will he hears us. And if we know that he hears us in whatever we ask, we know that we have the requests that we have asked of Him
- Tremendous power is made available when you pray.
Behold, I give unto you power to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy: and nothing shall by any means hurt you.
James 5:16 Amplified Bible, Classic Edition (AMPC)
16 Confess to one another therefore your faults (your slips, your false steps, your offenses, your sins) and pray [also] for one another, that you may be healed and restored [to a spiritual tone of mind and heart]. The earnest (heartfelt, continued) prayer of a righteous man makes tremendous power available [dynamic in its working].
But Peter put them all outside, and knelt down and prayed; and turning to the body he said, “Tabitha, arise.” And she opened her eyes, and when she saw Peter she sat up.
- You put on the new man in prayer who you truly are in Christ Jesus. We become new beings the moment we become born again and it’s only in prayer that we can fully acknowledge or realize it.
- Prayer helps you to maintain desire or inspiration. Everything that blessed you in the church that has gotten a total hold of you can only be maintained through prayer. Only prayer doesn’t make it a one-day show. You, however, are helped to maintain the hope and the peace that was deposited in you.
- You have peace when you pray
God is a good God and we can trust him to be faithful. So when we pray, we do so knowing that God has already answered all our prayers. Actually, worry shows a lack of trust in God.
Philippians 4:6 Be Careful for nothing but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your request be made known unto God and the peace of God which passes all understanding is what will keep your heart and mind in the Lord Jesus.
- We get to know God more As we communicate with God through prayers, our relationship with Him is strengthened.
- Prayer makes you a spiritual giant Every believer must develop the art of praying frequently. Then by and by, we’ll become dynamically active in prayer. When we pray, we develop an aura in which evil spirits cannot stand our presence.
In Exodus 24:18. “ When Moses went up on the mountain, he went into the center of the cloud and was on the mountain for 40 days and 40 nights.” Moses had prayed to God for forty days. This means that when you are lost in prayer with God, time and space cease to work for you.
When Moses came down from Mount Sinai, he had the two tablets in his hand, and he did not know that the skin of his face was ablaze with light because he had been speaking with God.
In prayer, there is a two-sided conversation with God and as such, God speaks to us as we speak to Him in prayer (dialogue). When we study the scriptures, we get to know that Moses started praying in Exodus 24 and he came back in Exodus 32 and throughout the time, God was speaking to Him.
CONCLUSION
As this article comes to an end, God wants you to understand that Prayer is a very important tool and a key to our lives. Can you ever get access into your own room if you can’t find your key? The answer is a definite NO. Your prayer life will never be the same if you meditate more on everything that has been clearly explained in this article. If this has blessed others, it will as well bless you and everyone connected to you if you share it. We wish you a beautiful prayer life.
