What Is Prayer? How Do I Talk To God?
When most people hear the word prayer they picture something formal, complicated or reserved for the deeply religious. Maybe as a child the learned prayers that they prayed at certain times or occasions. the Bible paints a much simpler and far more beautiful picture: Prayer is talking with God.
At its core, prayer isn’t a ritual to check off your to do list. It’s a relationship.
Jesus Himself began His model prayer with these words. ” Our Father In Heaven” Matthew 6:9
Those opening words change everything. Prayer isn’t a formula you have to get right so that you impress God. It’s just about approaching Him as a loving Father who wants to hear from his children.
Prayer: Relational Not Ritual
Prayer isn’t about words it is creating a connection with the God of the universe. Think about your closest relationship. You don’t measure the closeness of your relationship by how many words you say. You measure the relationship by the honesty, consistency, and the intimacy of your conversation.
Jesus warned about praying like the hypocrites who love to be seen praying.
“And when you pray, do not be like the hypocrites, for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the street corners to be seen by others. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward in full. ” Matthew 6:5 NIV
They focused on there performance it had nothing to do with a relationship with God.
True prayer isn’t about impressing God, think about it, how are you ever going to impress a God that spoke everything into existence? You can’t! Prayer is all about sharing your heart with your Heavenly Father.
You don’t have to wait until you have everything perfect. God isn’t going to grade you, he is listening to your heart.
Prayer is Both Speaking and Listening
A lot of people think prayer is a one way street where we talk and God listens. Prayer is far from that! It’s a two way conversation.
Speaking to God
We share with Him our joys, our struggles, our fears, all of our hopes and dreams and our requests we have for ourselves and for the ones we love. Absolutely nothing is to big for God to handle.
Listening To God
This is something that often confuses people. They don’t understand how to listen to God. God talks to us through his word, his spirit, even through those times you feel a nudge of conviction about something. You hear a word of encouragement spoken in your spirit or someone just happens to say the right thing at the right time. Often God will use some to help and they don’t even realize it and we don’t either until later when it dawns on us.
“My sheep listen to my voice, I know them, and they follow me.” John 10:27 NIV
Our prayers teach us not only how to speak with God but also how to recognize His voice.
Remember this: God will never tell you to do something that goes against his word. God will never do anything to harm you either. Only the enemy the devil does this, then he tells you God did it which is not true.
God Invites Us To Come Boldly
Sometimes we hesitate because we feel like we aren’t worthy enough to talk to God. Or we think God’s to busy or we aren’t worth enough to God for Him to talk with us or even listen to us. Scripture assures us that we can approach God with confidence he is going to hear us.
” Let us then approach God’s throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.” Hebrews 4:16 NIV
God’s throne is one of grace, not condemnation. He doesn’t demand perfection before you come to him. He will offer you mercy when you do. Prayer isn’t trying harder to reach God, it’s about trusting that He opened the way through his son Jesus starting with honesty.
If you are just starting your prayer journey or if you are just wanting to get to know God better. Here’s some good news! You don’t have to sound all spiritual. You don’t need any fancy words or a well written long speech start with honesty.
- Tell Him what you are thankful for
- Tell Him what’s working you
- confess when you fail
- ask for help where you need it most
Praying the Psalms
King David who wrote many of the Psalms prayer with raw honesty. Sometimes he was so happy sometimes he was angry, fearful, or just down right broken. But you know what? God called David “A man after His own heart” Why? Because David just prayed what was on his heart. You can do that to God is just waiting to hear from you.
Ways To Begin Prayer
Here are some simple steps for you to help you get started on your prayer journey.
- Set aside a few minutes everyday ” even if it’s only 5 minutes”
- Find you a quiet place. Limit distractions, it will help you focus
- Start with Thanks. Gratitude shifts your heart toward God’s goodness
- Speak plainly. Talk as you would to your best friend
- Read a Psalm or a scripture that helps you say what you are feeling.
- Make sure to pause and listen. Sit in silence for a minute and allow God to speak to your heart.
Remember: Prayer doesn’t have to be long to be powerful. Jesus even warns us against “babbling” with empty words.
” And when you pray, do not keep on babbling like pagans, for the think they will be heard because of their many words.” Matthew 6:7 NIV
Short sincere prayers are precious to God.
Breaking Through The Barriers
Many beginners feel nervous or unsure when they start praying. Here are three common barriers and how to over come them.
- I don’t know what to say Start with the Lords Prayer Matthew 6:9-13 use it as your guide and expand it into your own words
- I’ve made to many mistakes ” Therefore there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.” Romans 8:1 NIV
- I feel like God doesn’t hear me. ” This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to his will, He hears us” 1 John 5:14 NIV God will always hear us when we pray
The Father’s Heart in Prayer
The most important thing about prayer is this. God is a father who delights in His children. He doesn’t get annoyed when you come to him. He’s not impatient or dismissive. Jesus said this in Matthew 7:11
“if you, then though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him” Matthew 7:11 NIV
If our earthly parents know how to care for their children, how much more will God care for you? That’s the heart of prayer. God loves us and wants to hear from us. He wants to be a part of our lives.
Prayer isn’t about the right words or trying to earn God’s favor. It is totally about establishing a relationship with God. It’s about coming to a loving father and speaking honestly, listening for him to speak to you and being confident he hears you.
If you are just beginning. Start with a whispered “Thank You” before bed. Ask for help when you need it. Read a Psalm and pray it back to God. Little by little you will grow. Look forward to your time alone with God.
