Prayer: Communion with God

Article 10 of 13 in the Walking with Jesus Series

Why is prayer so difficult? Most Christians would say they believe in prayer and know they should pray more. Yet for many, prayer feels like a duty rather than a delight - a religious obligation that produces more guilt when neglected than joy when practised. Something has gone wrong when the conversation that should be the most natural thing in the world feels like the most burdensome. Scripture presents prayer not as a religious performance but as the living breath of the soul - the means by which the believer maintains the connection to God on which everything else depends.

Prayer is not primarily a technique for obtaining things from God. It is communion - the living conversation between a child and their Father. The word "communion" means a sharing, a participation, a mutual exchange. Prayer is the means by which the believer participates in the life of God - bringing their needs, their fears, their gratitude, and their worship into the presence of the One who already knows all of it and invites them to come anyway.

Jesus described the Father's knowledge of our needs before we ask:

If God already knows, why pray? Because prayer is not primarily about informing God. It is about the relationship. A child does not tell their father about their day because the father needs the information. They tell him because the telling is part of the relationship. Prayer is the means by which the believer lives in conscious dependence on God rather than in the illusion of self-sufficiency.

When the disciples asked Jesus to teach them to pray (Luke 11:1), He gave them what we call the Lord's Prayer. This prayer is not merely a formula to be recited. It is a model - a pattern that covers the essential elements of genuine prayer.

"Our Father which art in heaven" - Prayer begins with relationship. We come not as strangers petitioning a distant deity but as children addressing their Father. The word Jesus used for Father (Abba in the Aramaic, Romans 8:15) is the intimate word of a child - closer to "Papa" than to the formal "Father." This is the posture from which all prayer flows.

"Hallowed be thy name" - Before we bring our requests, we acknowledge who God is. Worship precedes petition. The person who rushes into God's presence with a list of requests without first pausing to acknowledge His greatness has misunderstood the nature of prayer.

"Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done" - The primary concern of prayer is not our agenda but God's. We pray for His kingdom to advance, His will to be done. This aligns our desires with His purposes and prevents prayer from becoming merely a mechanism for getting what we want.

"Give us this day our daily bread" - God invites us to bring our practical, daily needs to Him. The word "daily" (epiousios) is unusual in Greek - it appears almost nowhere else in ancient literature - and suggests the bread needed for the coming day. Prayer is not reserved for crises. It is the daily acknowledgment of dependence on God for everything.

"Forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors" - Prayer includes confession. The person who comes to God in prayer must come with an honest heart, acknowledging where they have fallen short. The connection between receiving forgiveness and extending it is significant: the person who has truly received God's forgiveness will find it possible to forgive others.

"Lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil" - Prayer is the means of spiritual protection. The person who prays for deliverance from evil is acknowledging that they cannot navigate the spiritual dangers of life in their own strength.

One of the most remarkable things about prayer in the New Testament is the boldness with which believers are invited to approach God:

The throne of grace is not a place of terror. It is a place of mercy and help. The believer who comes to God in prayer is not approaching a judge who is looking for reasons to condemn. They are approaching a Father who is looking for opportunities to help.

Paul describes the same confidence:

The word translated "careful" (merimnao) means to be anxious, to be divided in mind. Paul is saying: do not be anxious about anything. Instead, bring everything to God in prayer. The result is not necessarily the immediate resolution of the problem. It is the peace of God that surpasses understanding - a peace that guards the heart and mind regardless of the circumstances.

Jesus taught that prayer should be persistent. He told the parable of the persistent widow (Luke 18:1-8) specifically to teach that men "ought always to pray, and not to faint." He told the parable of the friend at midnight (Luke 11:5-13) to illustrate the principle of asking, seeking, and knocking:

The three verbs - ask, seek, knock - are all in the present tense in Greek, indicating continuous action: keep asking, keep seeking, keep knocking. Persistent prayer is not an attempt to wear God down. It is the expression of a faith that will not let go, and it is the means by which the soul is deepened and prepared to receive what God has to give.

Paul describes a dimension of prayer that goes beyond words:

There are times when we do not know how to pray. The situation is too complex, the need too deep, the words too inadequate. In those moments, the Holy Spirit intercedes for us. Prayer is not ultimately a human achievement. It is a work of the Spirit in and through the believer.

• "The LORD is nigh unto all them that call upon him, to all that call upon him in truth." (Psalm 145:18, KJV)
• "Call unto me, and I will answer thee, and shew thee great and mighty things, which thou knowest not." (Jeremiah 33:3, KJV)
• "If ye abide in me, and my words abide in you, ye shall ask what ye will, and it shall be done unto you." (John 15:7, KJV)
• "Pray without ceasing." (1 Thessalonians 5:17, KJV)
• "The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much." (James 5:16b, KJV)

"Prayer is about getting things from God." Prayer is primarily about relationship, not acquisition. Jesus said the Father knows what we need before we ask (Matthew 6:8). The purpose of prayer is not to inform God or to persuade Him to change His mind. It is to maintain the living connection with Him and to align our desires with His will.

"God only answers prayer if I have enough faith." The disciples asked Jesus to increase their faith (Luke 17:5), and Jesus described faith as small as a mustard seed moving mountains (Matthew 17:20). The size of the faith is not what matters. What matters is the object of the faith. A small faith directed toward a great God is sufficient. God responds to genuine, humble prayer, not to impressive displays of faith.

"Unanswered prayer means God is not listening." Scripture distinguishes between prayers that are answered immediately, prayers that are answered in a different way than expected, and prayers that are answered in God's timing rather than ours. James 4:3 notes that some prayers are not answered because they are motivated by wrong desires. But the consistent testimony of Scripture is that God hears the prayers of His people and responds according to His wisdom and love.

"Prayer requires special words or a special posture." The New Testament shows people praying in every posture - standing, kneeling, prostrate - and in every kind of language. What God looks for is not the form but the heart. "The LORD is nigh unto all them that call upon him, to all that call upon him in truth." (Psalm 145:18, KJV). Truth - honesty, sincerity - is the essential quality.

1. Begin with worship. Before you bring your requests, spend time acknowledging who God is. Use the Psalms as a guide. Let worship shape the posture of your heart before you ask for anything.

2. Pray specifically. Vague prayers produce vague faith. Bring specific needs to God and watch for specific answers. Keep a record of what you pray for and how God responds. This will build your faith over time.

3. Pray persistently. Do not give up after one or two prayers. Luke 18:1 says men ought always to pray and not faint. Persistent prayer is not a sign of weak faith. It is a sign of strong faith that will not let go.

4. Pray throughout the day. Paul's instruction to "pray without ceasing" (1 Thessalonians 5:17) does not mean to be in formal prayer at every moment. It means to maintain a posture of ongoing communion with God - turning to Him in the small moments of the day, not only in the set-aside times.

1. Read Matthew 6:5-15. Jesus contrasts the prayer of the hypocrites with genuine prayer. What are the specific things He warns against? What does genuine prayer look like in contrast?

2. Read Luke 11:1-13. The disciples ask Jesus to teach them to pray. What does the parable of the friend at midnight (vv. 5-8) teach about the nature of persistent prayer? What does Jesus promise to those who ask, seek, and knock?

3. Read Philippians 4:6-7. Paul says to bring "every thing" to God in prayer. What is the promised result? Notice that the promise is not the resolution of the problem but the peace of God. What does this tell you about the purpose of prayer?

4. Read Romans 8:26-27. Paul says the Spirit intercedes for us with "groanings which cannot be uttered." Have you ever experienced a time when you did not know how to pray? How does this passage speak to that experience?

5. What is the biggest obstacle to your prayer life right now? Is it busyness, doubt, a sense that God is not listening, or something else? Bring that specific obstacle to God in prayer this week.

• Living the Christian Life Daily - Article 9 in this series
• The Study of God's Word - Article 11 in this series
• Confession and Forgiveness - Article 4 in this series

Primary passages: Matthew 6:5-15; Luke 11:1-13; Philippians 4:6-7

Supporting passages: Psalm 145:18; Jeremiah 33:3; Matthew 7:7-11; Luke 18:1-8; John 15:7; Romans 8:26-27; 1 Thessalonians 5:17; Hebrews 4:16; James 4:3; James 5:16

Recommended reading:

• Ellen G. White, Steps to Christ, Chapter 11: "The Privilege of Prayer" (Review and Herald, 1892)
• E. M. Bounds, Power Through Prayer (1907)
• Andrew Murray, With Christ in the School of Prayer (1885)

Do you have a question about prayer or the devotional life? Ask it here - your question may become our next article.

This article was adapted from the themes presented in the classic devotional book Steps to Christ. To access the original book, please click here.