Unlimited: What Prayer Is

Jul 30, 2021 1389

If you sinful people know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give good gifts to those who ask him (Matthew 7:11, NLT).

If there is a loving heavenly Father – and we need not doubt that until rocks rush to form a Taj Mahal or computers without fingers or electricity can churn out a Bible – he would want to talk to us. Because talking must always be a two-way street, all the great characters of the Bible were praying people. Abraham, Elijah, Jeremiah – all the prophets – Samuel, Hannah, Peter, and Paul, were all praying people. No wonder then that the Bible talks about prayer 350 times.

They knew what we must learn: that if we lived under the constant benediction of the supreme fact of the universe that God is love, our lives would be in constant peace.

Prayer is so important.

What, then, is prayer?

Prayer is need, finding a voice. It is slipping through an open door to find our best Friend in the universe. Prayer is telling God what upsets us, what concerns us. It’s telling God when we’re grateful for his help, when we need his guidance, when we want his forgiveness, when we’ve been stupid and fearful and anxious, and when we’ve messed everything up. Prayer is a little child going to the father and spilling out the heart. – Des Ford (adapted)

Reflection: If prayer is so important, what stops you from praying more? Have you ever prayed for ten minutes straight? One hour? A whole day or night? I challenge you to find a quiet place, perhaps in nature, take your Bible with you, and pray for a whole hour. I promise you that it will change you.

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