Prayer is a concept that is familiar to most people, believers and non-believers alike. When you find yourself in a tight spot, you may find it in yourself to let loose a small prayer. As believers, prayer is more than something we do on a whim. Our God is all-powerful – unlimited, faithful, and loving. Over and over again, he makes it clear in his word that to receive any righteous desire of our heart, we have only to give him all our cares {Psalm 55:22}. So what is this powerful key that gives believers access to God’s promises?

What is prayer

Prayer can be defined simply as ‘Talking to God‘, and it is a pathway that allows you to build a close relationship with the father. Through prayer, we can bring the matters of our heart before God, our fears, our worries, our hopes, and disappointments.

The Oxford English dictionary defines prayer as ‘A solemn request for help or an expression of thanks addressed to God or another deity. There are several other definitions of prayer, but certain common elements underlie them:

• It is an entreaty/request: after reading God’s promises from his word, you must claim them and ask God for their fulfilment in your life.
• It may also be a method of expressing gratitude or giving thanks: you must continue to give God thanks for everything you receive from God. When you are grateful, it encourages God to do more.
• It is addressed to a higher power: You don’t pray to your colleague to land a promotion, and you must make a pitch to your boss because he is the one with the power. In the same way, we as believers pray to God because we know that he alone is all-powerful.

Other elements of prayer to God are

• You must pray in the name of Jesus: It is the blood of Jesus that justifies you and makes it possible for you to approach the throne of grace {Romans 5:9}
• You must pray in Faith: God will not honour any prayer that is not made with faith {Jude 1:20}

Why should we pray/ benefits of prayer?

Jesus said that we ought to pray always, never growing weary {Luke 18:1}. This is enough reason for believers to be steadfast in their prayers. However, there are many benefits of prayer which include:

1. It helps to build a relationship with God. Prayer brings you closer to God, bringing him into every area of your life.
2. It allows you to receive divine guidance from God. When you pray and ask God for his will concerning your life situations, he will reveal himself to you. Through this, you can have the assurance that you are living in the will of God.
3. It builds up your faith in God. The more you pray and receive answers from God, the more you trust God. You become convinced of his power to do everything and meet your needs in unexpected ways.
4. It allows you to live in the miraculous. Prayer can work miracles in your life through the power of God, making the impossible possible {3 John 1:2}
5. It builds up your strength and gives you victory over the devil {Luke 22: 31-32}. When you pray consistently, you are better able to resist temptation. The strength of God, the Holy Spirit in you, also helps you overcome the devil.
6. It reduces stress and anxiety {Matthew 6:25}. God wants to know everything about you, including the most little detail. Whatever might be bothering you, tell him about it. He’ll give you peace that is beyond human comprehension {Phillipians 4:7}
7. It makes you more like Jesus. It is documented that while Jesus was on earth, he prayed to the father regularly. As believers, we must seek to emulate Jesus in this.
8. It allows you to table your requests before God. Nothing is too simple for God to intervene or too complex for God to solve.
9. This is one of the ways we show our love for God and others. You can intercede for family, friends, enemies, and even whole nations.

Types of prayer

There are many different ways to pray, depending on your situation.

• A prayer of worship: in this prayer, you are not requesting for anything, and you are simply glorifying God for his awesomeness in your life. The book of Psalms is filled with many of such prayers that David prayed.
• A prayer of thanksgiving/gratitude: here, you show gratitude to God for what he has done.
• A prayer of repentance: sometimes we go outside the will of God for us, either willfully or because we’re not sensitive enough to his guidance. Once you realize this, you must humbly take time to confess your wrongdoing and ask for forgiveness. Fortunately, no sin is great enough to separate you from the love of God {Romans 8:35-39}. All God requires of you is sincere repentance, and your record is wiped clean!
• A prayer of request: this is the only type of prayer that many believers know. Thankfully, God can do all things, and he is never tired of hearing our prayers or answering them.
• A prayer of intercession: this is a prayer made on behalf of others. God expects every believer to pray for others, and this is not just limited to your friends and family; it also includes men of God, strangers, and unbelievers.

How to pray

God hears the prayer of all his children. When you speak out loud, or when you mumble quietly or just pour out your heart silently with tears streaming down your face. It can often feel like our prayers are not being heard. This may be because we do not ask right {James 4:3}. It may be that the answer is being delayed to God’s perfect time. How do we pray effectively? Here are some things to note:

• Start with praise and thanksgiving {Psalms 100:4}
• Pray for forgiveness of sin. The Bible is clear; the only prayer a sinner will pray that will be answered is a prayer for forgiveness. And your prayer is more effective when you have allowed the blood of Jesus to cleanse you inside and out {James 5:16}.
• Keep it simple and pray from your heart. Make it a conversation, like you’re talking to your best friend and father because you are. It can be as serious or as casual as you like.
• Pray in the spirit {Romans 8:26}. Don’t just mutter words; the effectiveness of prayer comes from our connection with God through the holy spirit, not just a pattern of prayer.
• Pray in line with God’s word. If you are asking for something that is expressly outside the will of God as stated in his word, your prayer cannot be effective.
• Pray in the name of Jesus {Philippians 2:10, Colossians 3:17}. The name of Jesus is one of the most powerful tools given to believers to bind and to cast and set loose. And whatever righteous request you make in Jesus’ name, the father will certainly fulfil {John 16:23}.
• Pray for others. Engage in intercessory prayers regularly.
• Pray for the kingdom of God. In the face of various trials, pandemics, international conflict, and political intrigue, it is all the more essential that believers set aside time to pray that the will of God be done on earth {Matthew 6:10}. We must also pray for the propagation of the Gospel across the nations of the earth.
• Pray continuously. This does not mean that you must engage in prayer marathons all the time, though there is a place for that. No, what this means is that you must commune with the father continuously throughout your day. A minute or two here, five minutes there. Anything that bothers you, even when nothing is bothering you. Especially when nothing is bothering you, because that time of peace, when your spiritual guard is down, is when you are most prone to temptation.

Conclusion

Prayer is a very important tool in every believer’s arsenal, which you should never be found without. It helps you build a strong relationship with God and cannot be replaced by anything.