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Prayer is an essential part of every world religion, including Christianity. Most people realize it has something to do with talking to God. Many hope that it might bring much needed assistance or comfort when facing difficult circumstances.
What do Christians believe about this near universal activity? And how can you take steps to foster a meaningful habit of prayer in your life? The clarion call in the bible is also known as a calling to serve. A clarion call is a mighty and outspoken plea for action. It has been used many times throughout its history in different cultures by kings, prophets, and teachers. There were a lot of people in the Bible who heard a call to action and followed it. Every one of them accomplished amazing things by making it possible for God to use them in a way that perfectly shaped modern Christianity. "Also I heard the voice of the Lord, saying: “Whom shall I send, And who will go for Us?” Then I said, “Here am I! Send me. And He said, “Go, and tell this people: ‘Keep on hearing, but do not understand; Keep on seeing, but do not perceive.’ “Make the heart of this people dull, And their ears heavy, And shut their eyes; Lest they see with their eyes, And hear with their ears, And understand with their heart, And return and be healed" Isaiah 6:8-10 (NKJV).
Prayer is communication with God. We do this by praising Him, confessing our sin before Him, thanking Him and asking Him for our needs and desires. Prayer is talking to God. The God to whom we pray is the all-powerful Creator, so He is able to intervene in our lives. He is a loving Father, so He cares about our needs and concerns. And He is the all-knowing Lord of the universe, so trustworthy to say “yes” when it is best and “no” when what we request would cause more harm than good. Prayer is communion with our Creator. When we pray, we engage in loving fellowship with the Maker of heaven and earth. He has graciously invited us into a close covenant relationship with Him through the person and work of Christ. Prayer is central to the Christian life. Christians are commanded to pray “continually” as we seek God and grow in intimacy with Him. There are many kinds of prayer: public prayers, private prayers, memorized prayers, spontaneous prayers, spoken prayers, silent prayers, written prayers, sung prayers, and many more. All of them put words to four basic ideas.
Thanksgiving – Someone said a sad day for an atheist is when he feels deeply grateful but has no one to thank! Christians know that God is the source of all of life’s blessings. So, we use prayer to say, “Thanks!” for what we receive. Since it is impossible to be truly thankful and discontent at the same moment, such prayers lift our spirits by reminding us that, “Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights” (James 1:17) Confession – We all mess up. Deep down, we know it. That’s why we feel sorry when we’ve done something wrong or failed to do what is right. Confession is the act of admitting our guilt, regrets, and confusion to the One who wants to help us make it right or move on. We join the rest of the human race in saying “God, have mercy on me, a sinner” (Luke 18:13)
Requests – “God, help me!” is a very basic version of the third category of prayer. We need, so we ask. Be it provision, intervention, protection, or any of a million other requests, we believe God can do or provide something we can’t. In the process, we take seriously the words of scripture, “You do not have, because you do not ask God.” Of course, we can make misguided requests. That’s why the scriptures add a caution. God is not a genie granting wishes, but a Father who takes seriously the sincere requests of His children. “When you ask, you do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, that you may spend what you get on your pleasures” (James 4:2-3)
Worship – Prayer is also one of the ways we worship God. To “worship” means to “ascribe worth.” In other words, we give credit where credit is due. If the history of humanity tells us anything it is that we are hard-wired to worship someone or something – be it an idol made of stone or a celebrity “idol” with a million social media followers. Worship keeps us sane because it reminds us of the fundamental reality of the universe: that there is only one God, and we are not Him.
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