Prayer - by Anthony

What is prayer? And how often should I pray? Do you ever ask yourself these questions? If not, I hope I can help you answer them today. Let’s start with the first question.

What is prayer? Prayer is, in the simplest terms, speaking with God. Prayer is going to the Lord to give thanks, to ask for requests, and to simply talk with God. There is no special formula as to how you should pray; you don’t have to have your eyes closed, your head bowed, and your hands lifted up. We do these things out of respect for the Lord when we speak to him, but they are not necessarily a requirement. When you pray for requests, you ought to pray for the Lord’s Will to be done in these requests. Also, it does not mean you ask for whatever you want. For example, praying that God would give you an iPod or new clothes is not respectful, and you are simply going to God for your personal gains. A prayer does not need to be a long fancy speech. You should be holding a conversation with the Lord. Many people do not like to pray in public. You may be one of them. If you cannot pray in public and be sincere in your prayers, don’t bother doing it. In Matthew 6:6 it says “But thou, when thou prayest, enter into thy closet, and when thou hast shut thy door, pray to thy Father which is in secret; and thy Father which seeth in secret shall reward thee openly.” You don’t have to pray in front of a crowd for God to hear you. If you feel that your prayers are more sincere in a private setting, pray to God in your own way. It ought to be you speaking with God, and him answering. He may answer in different ways, such as through His Word, or through other things in your life. But you cannot expect an answer without first initiating the conversation. That leads us to the second question.

How often do you pray? Do you ever go days or weeks without praying? Do you start to feel drained physically or emotionally? If you do, it’s probably because you are lacking a strong relationship with God. When we read the Bible, and we have a genuine conversation with God, he will strengthen us, and bless us. For some people, the difference in their lives is barely noticeable, whether they pray or not. But for others, it severely affects them. Either way, it should make you stop and think about how you stand with God, and how your relationship with Him is. It’s not right to go to God in prayer only when things get rough, then stopping again when everything is fine. That is not sincere prayer; it is simply you attempting to take advantage of prayer. However, it is also not right to pray because you consider it to be a chore or a daily ritual. That is a half-hearted prayer, and it will hit the ceiling and come right back down. The Lord knows everything, and the Lord sees everything. And he knows and can see exactly what is in your heart when you pray. If your prayers are not sincere, God will not answer.

In closing, I would ask that you all examine your hearts, and ask yourselves these questions. How do YOU pray? WHY do you pray? Are your prayers sincere, or just out of habit? I leave you with a few verses of scripture.

“And all things, whatsoever ye shall ask in prayer, believing, ye shall receive.” ~ Matthew 21:22

“And whatsoever ye shall ask in my name, that will I do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son.” – John 14:13