What is PRAYER? Real simple: PRAYER is talking to GOD. That conversation with God can be between an individual or group. It can be organized, unorganized, spontaneous or planned and He will be there for all of it. Whenever you’re ready, He’s ready. God doesn’t tell us how to pray, but He did provide a template in Matthew 6. You have probably heard it before. “Our Father, who art in Heaven, hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come, thy will be done on earth as it is in Heaven….”
Now, it’s just a guide. We get to customize it to fulfill our needs and purposes. Prayer can occur any time, day or night. Some people like to pray before they go to bed at night. Some people like to start their day off in prayer. Then, of course, there is prayer before meals, special occasions, holiday prayers, and some people even pray when they have their morning or evening strolls and riding in their cars. Some people write their prayers down too, so that they won’t leave out anything that’s on their minds.
There are different types of prayers.
Prayers of Adoration: that’s when you acknowledge God for who HE IS and our dependence on Him.
Prayers of Petition: that’s when we tell God what we need.
Prayers of Intercession: that’s when we pray for others.
Prayers of Thanksgiving: that’s when we pray to thank God for what He has given us.
The key to effective prayer is to pray what’s in God’s heart and those things can be found throughout the Bible. That’s why in the prayer template in Matthew 6, it reads, “Thy Will” be done.” You can’t really go wrong by praying for God’s will, because what’s in God’s will is what’s in His heart. Sometimes it may not seem like it, but God does answer EVERY PRAYER, with either YES, NO, or NOT YET. You may not get an immediate answer so have patience, WAIT ON THE LORD for the answer, and pray that you know when the answer has arrived and that that answer was from God. Satan is a chameleon and he is slick. He will have you thinking you have heard an answer from God and it will be from Satan. It will usually be the answer you wanted to hear. PRAY for discernment and that you will know the difference from God’s answers and Satan’s.
Last but not least, did you know that there are health benefits to prayer? Regular prayer is linked to lowering stress hormones, reducing blood pressure, and calming the nervous system. Prayer can strengthen your heart and brain, and increase your lifespan. The calming, meditative state achieved during prayer actively lowers cortisol levels and decreases your heart rate and oxygen consumption. Just being able to let out your concerns through prayer is therapeutic. It’s the feeling you get when you are talking with a family member or good friend and you know that, when you pray, you are talking to the best family member and friend that you could ever have: God.
So just pray. Don’t worry about anything, just pray about everything (paraphrasing Philippians 4:6), with thanksgiving.
With Agape Love,
Willie Mae