What is prayer? And furthermore, how do you pray?

Prayer is a huge part of Christianity.And if you’re anything like me, you pray every single day, multiple times a day. Chances are, you’ve heard the word prayer several times in your life. But have you ever really learned what the true definition of prayer actually is?

For this addition of Words of Wisdom, in celebration of the National Day of Prayer (May 5th), I will be sharing why prayer is so much more than bowing your head and putting your hands together. Prayer is having a conversation with God; it is a resource, a weapon that God has equipped us with. But it’s up to us to use it. Let’s get started! 🙏

How Do You Pray?

Matthew 6:9-13
"This, then, is how you should pray: “ ‘Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name, your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.  Give us today our daily bread. And forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one.’

The reason why I feel like this scripture is important is because it explains exactly how we need to pray, even in today’s time. Here is a breakdown of what this scripture reveals about the power of prayer.

• “Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name,” — first of all, it is important that we acknowledge that we are talking to the Lord. In this way we are giving our conversation with Him our undivided attention. Prayer is our spiritual and intimate time with God. Therefore, we need to remember to stay focused on Him, when we do pray.
• “your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven” — this is how we say, “let God’s will be done,” as we are admitting that God’s way is the best and only way.
• “Give us today our daily bread.” — a huge part of prayer is to ask God to bless us. If we have the desire for something, we need to humble ourselves and request it of our Heavenly Father. He already knows what we need. But He also wants us to come to Him so that He may meet those needs. Never forget that while we can give out requests, we should also thank God for what He has and is blessing us with.
• “And forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors.” — in prayer, we must be sure to ask God for forgiveness of our sins. And in order to gain God’s forgiveness, we need to forgive others that have sinned against us. In order to be forgiven, we must forgive. (Matthew 6:14-15)
• “And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one.” — prayer is a weapon because it is a way for us to protect ourselves against the temptations and attacks of the enemy. As we ask God for Him to deliver us, we can be released from the attempts of the enemy to distract us from the Lord and all that He has in store for us.

What are the Benefits of Prayer?

Although I already talked about some of the reasons why prayer is powerful, I would like to wrap up these Words of Wisdom with just a few of the endless benefits of prayer.

• Prayer helps strengthen and further develop our relationship with God.
• Prayer gives us the answers that we need.
• Prayer helps us resist giving into temptation.
• Prayer can ignite miracles.
• Prayer gives us inner peace.
• Prayer allows us to lift up other believers, and whoever God puts on our hearts and minds.

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If you get nothing else from today’s post, just remember this: we are able to talk to God 24/7. He is never too busy, and He is always anticipating our call. He has given us a gift to be able to access Him in all times of need. And we must admit that even if He doesn’t answer in the way we expected He will always answer. God is good like that.

So never take the power of prayer for granted; because prayer is a powerful weapon.

God bless you all! I’ll see you next time! ✨