WHAT IS PRAYER: TALKING WITH GOD & DRAWING NEAR TO HIM

WHAT IS PRAYER? TALKING WITH GOD & DRAWING NEAR TO HIM

What comes to mind when you hear the word prayer? Maybe you picture someone kneeling beside their bed with their hands together and eyes closed. Maybe you think about praying before a meal, praying at church, or calling out to God when life becomes difficult. But prayer is so much more than something we do when we need help. At its heart, prayer is talking with God and drawing near to Him. It is part of developing our relationship with our Heavenly Father and making room in our lives to seek Him.

Through prayer, we can worship God, thank Him, confess our sins, bring our needs before Him, pray for others, ask for wisdom, and simply spend time in His presence. Prayer does not need to sound impressive, and you do not need to have the perfect words. You simply need to come to God.

JESUS TAUGHT US HOW TO PRAY

When Jesus taught about prayer, He said, “But you, when you pray, go into your room, and when you have shut your door, pray to your Father...” - Matthew 6:6 (NKJV). Notice that Jesus said, “when you pray,” not “if you pray.” Prayer was intended to be a regular part of our walk with God. Jesus also showed us that prayer is not supposed to be a performance. We do not need an audience, impressive words, or for everyone around us to know how long we have prayed. Some of our most meaningful moments with God can happen when nobody else is watching. There is something beautiful about having a place where it is simply you and God.

MEETING GOD IN THE SECRET PLACE

Your secret place does not necessarily need to be a special prayer room. It could be your bedroom before everyone wakes up, your kitchen table with your Bible open, somewhere outside, or another quiet place where you can turn your attention towards God. The location is not the most important part. Who you are meeting there is.

The secret place is somewhere we can come before God without pretending. We can tell Him when we are hurting or confused. We can thank Him when something wonderful happens, ask Him for wisdom when we do not know what to do, confess our sins, and bring Him the things we struggle to explain to anyone else. Sometimes you may come before God and not even know what to say. You might simply begin with, “Father, I’m here,” “Lord, I need You,” or “Jesus, help me.” You do not need perfect or impressive words. God already knows what is happening within your heart before you even speak.

YOU DON'T NEED PERFECT WORDS

Have you ever heard somebody pray and thought, I could never pray like that? Maybe their prayer sounded powerful and confident. They knew exactly what to say and seemed to know Scripture after Scripture. Then it is your turn to pray, and suddenly your mind goes blank. But prayer is not a competition. God is not comparing your prayer with somebody else's, and He is not impressed by words simply because they sound spiritual.

Jesus taught, “And when you pray, do not use vain repetitions as the heathen do. For they think that they will be heard for their many words.” - Matthew 6:7 (NKJV). Jesus then reminded His followers that the Father already knows what they need before they ask Him (Matthew 6:8). Think about that for a moment. God already knows what you need, yet He still invites you to come and talk with Him. This shows us that prayer is not simply about giving God information He does not already know. Prayer is relational. It is about relationship with God.

PRAYER IS MORE THAN ASKING GOD FOR THINGS

If the only time we pray is when something goes wrong or when we need something, prayer can slowly become more like an emergency call than part of an ongoing relationship with God. Prayer can include so much more. We can thank God for what He has already done, worship Him for who He is, confess our sins and ask for forgiveness, seek His wisdom, pray for other people, bring our needs before Him, and surrender our plans to His will. There may also be times when we simply become still before God, read His Word, and allow our hearts to focus on Him. Prayer is not about performing for God. It is about drawing near to Him.

BRING EVERYTHING TO GOD

Sometimes we divide our lives into things we think are important enough to pray about and things we believe we should handle ourselves. We may bring God the emergencies while trying to carry everything else alone. Philippians 4:6-7 teaches believers to bring their requests before God through prayer and supplication with thanksgiving rather than allowing anxiety to consume them. Prayer is our communication with God, coming before Him, speaking with Him, worshipping Him, and sharing what is on our hearts. Supplication means earnestly and humbly bringing our specific needs and requests before God and asking for His help. Thanksgiving means approaching Him with gratitude, remembering who He is, what He has already done, and His faithfulness in our lives.

That means we can talk with God about our families, children, relationships, work, finances, decisions, future, fears, calling, mistakes, unanswered questions, and the things keeping us awake at night. We do not have to hide any part of our lives from Him. Instead of carrying everything alone, Scripture teaches us to bring our concerns before God, make our requests known to Him, and do so with thankful hearts that continue to trust Him... bring it all to God.

WHAT HAPPENS WHEN THE ANSWER DOESN'T COME?

Sometimes we pray and see an answer quickly. Other times, we pray and wait for weeks, months, or even years. Then we pray again - and continue waiting. During those seasons, we may begin asking, God, did You hear me? Why hasn't anything changed? How much longer do I have to wait?

Waiting can be difficult, especially when what we are praying about matters deeply to us. But prayer is not about controlling God or convincing Him to follow our plans. Jesus taught His disciples to pray, “Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven.” - Matthew 6:10 (NKJV). Sometimes God's answer may look different from what we expected, or His timing may be different from ours. While we are waiting for something around us to change, God may also be doing something within us. He may be developing our character, strengthening our faith, producing patience and perseverance, correcting our desires, giving us wisdom, changing our perspective, and teaching us to depend more deeply upon Him. The waiting season may not only be about what we are waiting for, but also about who we are becoming as we wait. We may not always understand what God is doing, but we can continue bringing our requests before Him and continue to trust Him.

DRAW NEAR TO GOD

Prayer is not only about getting answers. One of its greatest privileges is that we get to draw near to God Himself. Hebrews 4:16 encourages believers to come boldly to the throne of grace so that we may receive mercy and find grace in our time of need. Through Jesus Christ, believers have access to God and can approach Him with confidence.

You do not have to wait until you have everything together before coming to God. No matter what state you are in, come. Come when you are strong or tired, joyful or hurting, confident or confused. Come when you have made mistakes and need to repent. Come when you know exactly what you want to say, and come when you cannot find the words. You do not have to fix yourself first or pretend that everything is okay. Come as you are, draw near to God, and seek Him there.

PRAYER AND THE GOSPEL

But there is something important we need to understand about drawing near to God. Christianity is not simply about learning how to pray. Our greatest need is to be reconciled to God through Jesus Christ. Scripture tells us, “for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” - Romans 3:23 (NKJV). We have all sinned, and we cannot make ourselves right with God through good works, religious activity, or simply trying to become better people. Being kind, helping others, giving generously, attending church, or serving cannot remove our sin or earn our salvation.

But God has made a way for us to be forgiven and reconciled to Him through Jesus Christ. Jesus Christ, the Son of God, came into the world, lived without sin, died for our sins, was buried, and rose again on the third day. His death, burial, and resurrection are at the heart of the Gospel (1 Corinthians 15:3–4). Jesus said, “Repent, and believe in the gospel.” - Mark 1:15 (NKJV) We are called to turn from sin toward God and place our faith in Jesus Christ. Salvation is God's gift of grace, received through faith, not something we can earn through our own works (Ephesians 2:8–9).

If you already belong to Christ, prayer is one of the privileges of your relationship with God. Through Jesus, you can come before God to worship Him, give thanks, confess your sins, seek wisdom, pray for others, and bring your needs before Him. If you do not yet know Jesus Christ, your greatest need is not simply a better prayer routine, it is reconciliation with God. Turn from sin and place your faith in Jesus Christ. Through Him there is forgiveness, salvation, new life, and the hope of eternal life. That is the Good News.

A REMINDER & ENCOURAGEMENT

Maybe your prayer life is not where you want it to be right now. Maybe it has been a while since you intentionally spent time talking with God, or perhaps you want to pray but simply do not know where to begin. Do not allow that to stop you from beginning again. Prayer does not need to be complicated or impressive. You can come before God honestly, thank Him, confess your sins, ask for wisdom, pray for others, bring Him your needs, and allow His Word to shape your prayers.

Pray when things are going well and when life becomes difficult. Pray when you have plenty and when you are in need. Pray when you know exactly what to say, and when you cannot find the words, come to Him anyway. God already knows what is happening in your heart, yet He still invites you to come.

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REFLECT 📝

Take a moment to reflect on your own prayer life.

• What does my prayer life look like right now?

• Do I only run to God when something goes wrong, or am I intentionally making time for Him?

• Are distractions taking the place of time I could be spending with God?

• Is there something I have been carrying that I need to bring before Him?

• Do I see prayer as a performance, a routine, an emergency call, or an opportunity to draw near to God?

  
  

You do not need to change everything overnight. Begin by making room for God today and continue building from there.

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PUT IT INTO PRACTICE

Set aside intentional time this week to pray. Find somewhere quiet, remove unnecessary distractions, and open your Bible. Spend time worshipping God for who He is, thanking Him for what He has done, confessing your sins, bringing your needs before Him, praying for others, and surrendering your plans to His will. If you are unsure where to begin, read Matthew 6:5–13 and allow Jesus' teaching to guide your prayer. You do not need to begin with an hour. Start with five minutes if necessary, and continue building from there.

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FURTHER READING 📖

• Matthew 6:5–13 = Jesus teaches us how to pray.

• Philippians 4:6–7 = Bring everything to God in prayer.

• Hebrews 4:14–16 = Come boldly before God's throne of grace.

• Romans 8:26–27 = The Holy Spirit helps us in our weakness.

• James 4:8 = Draw near to God, and He will draw near to you.

• 1 Thessalonians 5:16–18 = Pray continually and give thanks.

  
  

Read beyond the individual verses where possible and consider the surrounding chapters so you can understand each passage in its biblical context.

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A PRAYER FOR YOU 🕊️

Father, thank You that through Jesus Christ I can come before You in prayer. Thank You that You know what is in my heart, yet You still invite me to draw near to You.

Teach me to pray and help me grow deeper in my relationship with You. Remove the distractions that pull me away from spending time with You, and help me to seek You not only when I need something, but because I desire to know You.

Teach me to worship, give thanks, confess my sins, pray for others, bring my needs before You, and surrender my plans to Your will. When I do not know what to say, remind me that I can still come. When I am waiting for an answer, help me trust Your wisdom and timing.

For those who do not yet know Jesus Christ, open their hearts to the Gospel and draw them towards repentance and faith in Him.

Above everything else, help us to know You more and draw nearer to You.

In Jesus' name,

Amen.

BE ENCOURAGED.

ALL GLORY TO GOD MOST HIGH 🔥

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