Prayer, in general, is a conversation with God about our needs, our wants, our concerns, and our desires. A secular dictionary defines prayer as “an invocation or act that seeks to activate a rapport with an object of worship through deliberate communication”. I find it interesting and surprising that a secular dictionary defines prayer as distinctly and completely as it does or rather is it a complete definition by biblical standards? Let us see what the Bible has to say. The secular dictionary begins its definition by defining prayer as an invocation. An invocation is the action of summoning someone for assistance or as an authority or the calling of a deity or the supernatural. We as children of God call upon the Lord for, He is our help. We are told to call upon Him when in trouble (Psalm 50:15) as well as when giving honor and thanks to our Father (1 Chronicles 16:8). We should call upon the Lord for everything that takes place in our lives. The next point the secular dictionary mentions in its definition is that prayer seeks to activate a rapport with an object of worship. Well, without going any further, we all know that the object of our prayer is God, our Father. But what is interesting in this statement is that prayer is used to “activate a rapport”. To build a rapport would be to build “a close and harmonious relationship in which the people or groups included understand each other’s feelings or ideas and communicate well”. The Lord calls us into relationship with him. However, like any relationship, it must be developed and strengthened. One way to develop and strengthen your relationship with God is through prayer. The Bible says, “The LORD is near to all who call upon Him, to all who call upon Him in truth. He will fulfill the desire of those who fear Him; He will also hear their cry and will save them” (Psalm 145:18- 19). Prayer demonstrates your level of faith and your desire to follow God’s will for your life (1 John 5:14- 15). Finally, the secular definition states that prayers are delivered through “deliberate communication”. God wants us to be dependent upon him for everything “for in Him we live and move and have our being…” (Acts 17:28). The Bible says to “be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God”. It appears the secular definition is pretty much supported by the Word of God. Based on our bible references, a more biblical definition would read as prayer being the deliberate act of summoning or the calling upon of God, our Father for all our needs, demonstrating our faith in God with the intention of building and strengthening our relationship with Him.
Why pray? The Word says that we should “pray without ceasing” (1 Thessalonians 5:16-18). Praying should be like breathing; easier to do than not to do. It should not be seen as a means of getting God to do our will on earth, but rather as a means of doing God’s will on earth. For situations which we do not know God’s specific will, prayer is a means of discerning or understanding and recognizing His will.
Personal Prayer
The Bible teaches us that prayer should not be showy, and it shouldn’t include vain repetitions. We should go into our room and shut the door (Matthew 6:5-7). But He did give us a framework of the types of things to pray about. Jesus provided a model prayer for us in Matthew 6:5-13 and Luke 11:1-4. In general, the model prayer includes the following content:
- Praising and thanking God
- Praying for God’s Kingdom to come, and for His will and work to be done today.
- Requesting that our needs and the needs of others be met, whether healing, food, wisdom, or protection.
- Seeking forgiveness and the help to forgive others
- Asking for protection from temptation and the evil tempter. We should be humble when praying not as the Pharisee in Luke 18:10 but humble in heart and mind as the tax collector (Luke 18:10-14).
Corporate Prayer
However, there are times we need to pray in groups or pray corporately. Corporate prayer brings about certain benefits to the praying group, as a whole, such as the following:
- Encouragement – praying with others can encourage the members of the group about their situation. There may be someone in the group who is struggling with a certain situation. As they are upheld in prayer, the Holy Spirit will bring them encouragement and reassurance.
- Unity of purpose – Corporate prayer has the ability to knit a group together in a bond of fellowship and praise. People are edified and unified in common faith. As people pray together, they build love and concern for others and display their dependence on God for their healing and/or deliverance.
- Worship – Corporate prayer brings intimate communion with the Savior.
- Repentance – As people pray, the Holy Spirit brings conviction and draws His children to repentance.
People mistakenly think that by getting other people to pray with you about what you want from God that you are more likely to get what you want. This usually comes from the gross misinterpretation of the scripture that says, “For where two or three are gathered together in My name, I am there in the midst of them” (Matthew 18:20). Corporate prayer is not about getting enough people together to pray until God bends His will to our will. Instead, prayer (corporate and private) is about cooperating with God and abandoning our desires and submitting to God’s will. We should always remember that God loves us so much and understands what we are going through. That is why we can “come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need” (Hebrews 4:16). However, we must be careful not to treat God as if He is some kind of “Cosmic Santa Claus”!
Remember, we must follow God’s will – not our own. In prayer, there is a time to speak and a time to listen. This is the balance of prayer. We talk and God responds. God talks and we have a discussion. Prayer is a great benefit and enjoyment…. if we, do it right. Let us all make a conscious effort to pray more – not for the benefit of receiving but for God’s glory, to worship Him and to discern His will – His plan for our lives.
Submitted By Sis. Shonna Washington