What is Prayer? (Daily Encouragement)
Hear my prayer, O God; listen to the words of my mouth. – Psalm 54:2
This week we are looking at another essential element of our relationship with God and following Him – prayer. We will look at what prayer is (today), what hinders prayer and how we can practically cultivate a healthy prayer life. Like any relationship – think of friends, marriage, work relationships, etc. – communication is vital for flourishing. If we are going to grow in our relationship with God we need to cultivate our communication with God.
Richard Pratt was a professor at the seminary I attended and we will use his book “Pray With Your Eyes Open” as a guide to help us grow. In order to grow, we should know what the essential elements of prayer are that we need to cultivate:
From a biblical point of view, prayer may be defined as a believer’s communication with God. This definition suggests three main elements in prayer: (1) God, (2) the believer, and (3) the communication. IF one of these components is missing, prayer cannot occur. A quiet church building may not be accessible; we may not have much time; friends and prayer partners may not be around. But as good and helpful as these elements may be, none is essential to prayer. Take away God, the believer, or the communication, however, and prayer becomes impossible. Without God no one listens; without the believer no one speaks; without communication nothing is said.
These three elements are essential for fruitful and fulfilling communication with God. Ignoring any one of them paralyzes prayer, but attending to them all will move us toward a more vibrant prayer life.
While prayer can seem overwhelming, it is helpful to start at the foundation, the basic elements. God, the believer, communication – the three essential elements of prayer. The next few days we will talk about developing and growing in each area.