How Does Prayer Connect Us to God?
James 5:16
As Christians, we must maintain our relationship with God through prayer. But how does prayer connect us to God anyway?
To maintain a relationship with someone, there are a few things you must do. Number 1: You should genuinely care for that person’s well-being. Number 2: You should be willing to compromise to meet the other person’s needs. And Number 3: You MUST communicate with that person regularly.
When we think about maintaining connections with others, we don’t usually think about it in point form, do we? It usually just kinda happens naturally. Humans are naturally social creatures, therefore it’s easy for us to form bonds with others and instinctively maintain relationships.
As Christians, we must maintain our relationship with God. Sometimes, unfortunately, this process isn’t as easy as 1 2 3.
It’s easy to communicate with others because we can see them, but we cannot physically see God and therefore some may have difficulty maintaining a connection with Him.
What is prayer?
That’s where prayer comes in. The Bible doesn’t give a direct definition of what prayer is, but we can get a pretty clear picture of what it is by how the word is used. The psalmist says:
“Give ear, O LORD, unto my prayer; and attend to the voice of my supplications.”
Psalm 86:6
“Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God.”
Philippians 4:6
And Jesus said:
“And he said unto them, When ye pray, say, Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done, as in heaven, so in earth.” Luke 11:2
Simply put, prayer is communication with God. It’s just talking to God!
Just as we communicate with our friends and family to maintain our relationships with them, we must communicate with God to maintain our relationship with Him.
If we cease to pray then we cease to have a relationship with Christ.
Why is prayer important to the Christian’s life?
So how does prayer really work? And is it an important part of the Christian experience? Can’t I just go to church and have the pastors/elders do all of the praying for me?
When we decide to follow Christ, we are also deciding to let His will be done in our lives. We can now depend on God for our every need and He has promised to provide everything according to His riches in glory (Philippians 4:19).
When we pray God provides; that’s how prayer works! But we must have a relationship with God in the first place.
Jesus wants to be our Savior AND friend, therefore as we grow closer to Him we will find that our prayers have more meaning and become even more powerful.
The greater connection we have with Christ, the more we will see His will being fulfilled in our lives.
“Confess your faults one to another, and pray one for another, that ye may be healed. The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much.”
James 5:16
Pray without ceasing
Sometimes we pray for something and nothing happens. We may become disappointed and disheartened. But there is a reason for seemingly unanswered prayer. God wants us to trust Him, whether we get what we want or not.
He has a plan for your life and His timing is perfect. Faith, trust, and prayer work hand in hand; we must have faith that God is real, trust that He will fulfil His promises and pray even when we don’t know what God is doing.
The famous acronym says, P.U.S.H-pray until something happens. We must pray evermore, pray until we get the answer we’re looking for.
“Pray without ceasing.”
1 Thessalonians 5:17
Prayer changes things
Jesus gives us a bold promise, He proclaims:
“And all things, whatsoever ye shall ask in prayer, believing, ye shall receive.”
Matthew 21:22
God can grant us everything we want or need without us asking for it. But when we pray and God comes through for us, our faith is strengthened. When we pray and God doesn’t answer right away, our faith is strengthened by the season of waiting.
Prayer works because God is always looking for opportunities to draw us closer to Him. When we maintain our relationship with Christ, anything we ask believing, we shall receive.
What are you praying for today?
Prayer for Today:
Dear Heavenly Father,
Thank you for your saving grace and mercy. Thank you for giving me life and showing me that you want a real connection with me. Give me the desire to love you more. Help me to grow more and more like you every day. Let the words of my mouth, and the meditation of my heart, be acceptable in thy sight, O LORD, my strength, and my redeemer.
Amen.
Thank you for taking the time to read this article today. If you have a question, query or story you’d like to share with me, please leave a comment or email me using the form below.
