So, What is Prayer?

Prayer is a most necessary activity for a Christian. It is our opportunity to enter into the presence of Almighty God! In this place, we must abandon self-reliance, pride, and all self-pretense. During this time, we must exercise humility, faith, and hope. Then we must claim a total dependence upon God. Through this effort, we are given the privilege of touching the heart of God through the Son of God, Jesus our Lord.

In spite of this privilege, and despite all of the passages in God’s Holy Word about prayer, we, too often, ignore prayer and substitute a reliance on our own wills and abilities to accomplish the things that we desire to happen. When we engage in this sinful practice, we should bow in prayer, confess this our sin, beg his forgiveness, and surrender our will to God’s will. He sees a much more complete picture than we do, and he desires nothing but good for us all the days of our lives.

Prayer will always change the one praying. How can we be so bold as to enter the presence of the all-knowing God while trying to keep secrets from Him. As a result, we come before him totally open laying out ourselves in complete confession and dependence. We reach into our inner-most parts and admit our failures and needs. Our pride is stripped. Our hearts are made quiet. This puts us in awe as we enter the presence of God. How can we hope to survive if we do not avail ourselves of this honor? How can we expect to be close to God without prayer? His Word tells us in James 4: 8 that if we draw near to Him, He will in turn, draw near to us.

If we find ourselves neglecting the use of this privilege, we must honestly examine ourselves to discover the cause of this sinful practice. Too often we sadly find ourselves engaged in practices in life that are more important than entering that most sacred place and speaking to the Most High. No earthly endeavor is more important than our relationship with God. Just as regular communication is a display of love here on earth, entering the presence of God through prayer is a display of our love for Him. 

So, what is prayer? Prayer is the practice of entering the presence of God! We should and must be there frequently!