Have you ever had a conversation with someone and 5 minutes later you can’t remember what in the world the conversation was about?
If that has happened to you, and it has most definitely happened to me, then it is probably safe to say that the conversation was about nothing. Our conversations can be made up of a bunch of talk and “nothingness.” This same nothingness can play out in our prayer lives too. We pray elementary prayers such as “bless this food” or “thank you for this day,” but there is no meaning or emotion behind these words. This pattern of prayer is stagnant and it is stunting our prayer lives and the prayer lives of those around us. As we unpack what a prayer life looks like and all that it entails, let us purpose to grow in the power of prayer, understand the posture of prayer, and let us re-learn what a prayer life looks like and how to demonstrate that to our students.
Throughout the Bible, God uses prayer as a means to powerfully connect with His people.
Let’s start off by asking the question, “What is prayer?” Well, to put it simply, prayer is our communication with God through the Holy Spirit, as He speaks to us through His Word. But prayer is more than a simple way of communication; it is a powerful tool that can cultivate your spiritual life.
Prayer should not be an effortless part of our lives, it should be viewed as a major tool to grow, cultivate, & establish our relationship with God.
Throughout the Bible, God uses prayer as a means to powerfully connect with His people. We see this in David’s humble prayer for deliverance (Psalm 3), through Hannah’s authentic prayers of pain and praise (1 Samuel 1:10-20, 2:1-10), through Jesus’ anguished prayer in the garden (Matthew 26:36-42), to Paul’s faithful prayers for growth and blessings on the church (Ephesians 1:17-19, 3:16-19, Philippians 1:9-11, Colossians 9-12). These prayers were not onetime requests. God’s people presented their needs before the Lord “seven times a day” (Psalm 119:164)! The power of prayer can be experienced by means of diligent pursuit, which then results in true intimacy with the Creator of the World! We see this proven true through the examples stated above and because of their steadfastness, they experienced the power of prayer! Thus, our connection with God is met through the discipline of prayer. So, prayer should not be an effortless part of our lives, it should be viewed as a major tool to grow, cultivate, & establish our relationship with God.
