Why is prayer so important? What is its role in our daily lives?
Let me start by being honest—there is a lot that I don’t understand about prayer. In fact there are probably more things that I don’t know about it than I do know. Nevertheless, I would like to share some of the things I’ve learned about prayer. This is just one man’s perspective—but I think it is enough to at least show that prayer is an important part of our lives.
· Prayer allows us to connect with God. I asked my Mom once, “How do you know God?” The answer: “Spend time with Him.” Prayer is one of the primary ways we spend time with God. Talking to Him, pouring our hearts out to Him, thanking Him, praising Him, listening to Him, getting to know Him. Like any other relationship, our relationship with God takes effort and continual watering. We can grow that relationship through prayer.
· Prayer unites us. Two teachers I deeply respect (Rico Cortes and Nehemia Gordan) have been pushing prayer as a place of common ground for believers to unite around. When we approach God in prayer, we lay down our doctrines and our pride. We set aside our own lives and approach in humility with one common desire—to know God. This is the beginning of unity.
· Prayer gives us focus. The things that we pray about daily become the things that we focus on. By praying Scripture or the ancient prayers we can train ourselves to focus on the things of God. By praying for change in our lives, we can begin to change our attitude. By praying for other people, we can begin to love. When we connect with God, our focus begins to shift to the things of God.
Undoubtedly, there are things I have left out here—things I do not yet understand. But I hope this has given you a glimpse of just how important prayer is. I know I have seen noticeable change in my own life because of it.
One last note, and that’s about how you pray. When you pray do not seek for yourself or your own desires. Seek God—and seek Him with everything you have. Seek His will. Seek His peace. Seek His instruction. Seek His love. Seek His Name. Seek to know Him. Because prayer isn’t about you—it’s about a relationship with your Heavenly Father.