“Heal me, O Lord, and I shall be healed;

save me, and I shall be saved, for you are my praise.”

—Jeremiah 17:14

Life is hard. We all face difficulties and burdens every day. To make it through we need strength, comfort, and oftentimes healing. God wants to help us with those burdens. In fact, he wants to give Him those burdens and let Him carry them for us. Philippians 4:7 says that if you pray “the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”

Even though we all have needs to pray for, how to actually do it is something which many struggle with. For some, it’s not because they lack a desire to pray. It’s usually because they are making the process overly difficult, thinking it requires them to be the most eloquent speaker. Sadly, some even have the misconception that they are unworthy to pray.

Whatever the struggle you may have with prayer, to truly understand how to pray, we must first understand what prayer is.   

WhAT IS PRAYER?

Prayer is how believers communicate their thoughts and desires to God. Prayer can communicate whatever we want to God—our desires, our fears, our needs, and our praise and thankfulness.

“And this is the confidence that we have toward him, that if we ask anything

according to his will he hears us. And if we know that he hears us

in whatever we ask, we know that we have the requests that we have asked of him.”

—1 John 5:14-15

Furthermore, the Bible tells us to pray often: “Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.” (1 Thessalonians 5:16-18)

But beyond just expressing our needs or praise to God, prayer is also a time for believers to listen to God. Why? Because prayer is actually a two-way street. Because it’s a communication with God, God oftentimes communicates with his followers through prayer. Stop and think about that. God will communicate directly with you through prayer. God wants this relationship with you—He wants you to come to Him in prayer and seek His guidance—and He will bless this time with speaking directly to you.

Now that we know what prayer is, we can break down the barriers many have with prayer.

Unfortunately, many people come up with incorrect reasons as to why they can’t pray. Some simply don’t pray because they don’t slow down enough from their busy schedule, or they don’t think their concerns are important enough to pray about. But as we’ve learned, God wants to hear from you. Like any father when it comes to his child, He wants constant communication to grow the relationship. That’s why He tells us to pray about everything:

“Do not be anxious about anything,

but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving

let your requests be made known to God.”
—Philippians 4:6

Moreover, God wants to hear from you when you are suffering:

“Is anyone among you suffering? Let him pray.”

—James 5:13

Because God wants to hear from you, He’s made prayer rather simple. God wants you to come as you are to Him in prayer, and because it’s simply a conversation with God, there is no fancy formula that must be followed. It doesn’t have to happen at a certain time of day or particular place. A prayer can be said silently, or it can be said out loud. It can be as simple as just a few short sentences, it can be simply praying over Bible verses, or it can be a long drawn out conversation. Prayer doesn’t have to be a particular length or about a particular topic. The only requirement God has on prayer is this: that we simply pray to Him.

Do you need God’s healing in your life? Or strength to make it through a mountain in front of you?

Whatever you are facing, God wants to be there with you. Despite God’s repeated call for believers to pray, He doesn’t promise to answer every prayer in the way we may desire Him to, but he does promise to ultimately work everything out for the good of those who love Him. (Romans 8:28)

Regardless of the reason you may have for praying, prayer produces joy, peace, and hope. If that is possible simply by having a conversation with God, why not partake? God is waiting, and he’s listening. He already knows what’s in your heart—he just simply wants you to come to him and talk.

I pray you experience prayer’s life-changing, life-giving power today.


Want to learn more about prayer or have someone pray with you (or for you!)? We would love to talk with you. Give us a call or send us an email here.