We often see prayer as ourselves initiating a conversation or requesting from God, and we await His response, leaving us to sometimes feel let down or unheard when we don't receive the response we want or expect, or sometimes a response at all. We must understand that prayer is not ourselves prompting a conversation with God, but prayer is ourselves answering God. It is our response to the way in which He has revealed Himself to us through His Word, His Spirit, our salvation, and the creation around us. God continually talks to us. Prayer is ourselves responding to God. Prayer has the power to bring heaven into the ordinary, and it changes our reality, perception, and understanding. Prayer changes us; it plunges us, by the deep power of the Spirit, into the things of God. When we choose not to pray, we are, in essence, saying God is not necessary or needed in my life.

Having a proper understanding of prayer is vital in our walk and prayer life. We don't just pray when we are in need or when we feel far from God. 1 Thessalonians 5:17 says we are to pray without ceasing, and Philippians 4:6 tells us to pray in all things. The Christian life is one that continually involves prayer.

If you are new to prayer, don't be worried about saying the right things. Just as a mother and father are overjoyed at their child's first words, your Father in heaven is delighted and awaits to hear your voice. He doesn't desire a perfectly rehearsed and grammatically correct prayer. Pray your fears, your anger, your anxiety, and insecurities. Pray your joys, your accomplishments, your hopes, and wants. Enjoy the time that comes in learning the vocabulary and grammar to life with God. Enjoy getting to know Him and include it in your prayers when you learn new things about Him.

The greatest guide to prayer is the word of God, your Bible. The Psalms are a book filled with songs and prayers. My most favorite and fruitful times of prayer come from reading God's word, meditating on it in prayer, and then enjoying that word and prayer by seeing it come alive in my life and the world around me. Reading Psalm 8, describing the majesty of God and the work of His hands, paired with a prayer of gratitude and asking for a deeper knowledge of God and love of God through His creation, completed by a time of solitude watching the sunset, aligns my entire being and experiences with God.

Our ultimate end in prayer is not to refine a discipline or complete a task. Prayer is a gift from God, and the goal of prayer is to worship God by partaking in that gift, communing and communicating with Him, enjoying God through prayer.

- Pastor Joshua