What is Prayer?
Christians believe human beings aren't simply here in the world by chance. God made us, and loves us, and wants to relate with us. He made us as whole beings, with body, mind and spirit.
Prayer is an expression of our relationship with and dependence upon God. It's a conversation with God. In prayer you may offer praise, make a request of God, or simply express your thoughts and emotions.
It's a two-way spiritual relationship in which you should not only talk to God but also listen to what God might be saying to you.
When you pray, ideally you should unwind and try to be aware and attentive. The spirit works best when you relax the body and still the mind. The Christian grows spiritually through a life of prayer.
How to pray?
Some people say they don't know how to pray. A simple answer is to pray any way you like. You can pray the way your mother taught you; you can use a prayer book. Sometimes it takes courage to pray; but it is possible to pray, and necessary to pray. Whether from memory or a book or just in thought, it's all the same
Now and then, it's right to recall the past so as to seek forgiveness, or to learn from the experience, or to remember good things with joy. At times we need to think about the future, to plan for instance, and there are times to use our imagination, especially in meditation. But the real moment is the present, the immediate. That's when we meet God.
However, we don't know exactly why or how God responds to prayer, and there is certainly no formula that guarantees we shall get what we ask. But we do know that prayer enhances our personal and corporate relationship with God and that he chooses to work through the prayers of his people.
We publish a daily Diocesan Cycle of Prayer to encourage churches and individuals to pray for each other. Please join us as we pray for the Anglican Church across the world, our parishes, their people and clergy.
The Biblical basis for prayer
One of the ancient Bible songs, Psalm 46:10, says, "Be still, and know that I am God.
Psalm 28: 7 says. "The Lord is my strength and my shield; in him my heart trusts; so I am helped, and my heart exults, and with my song I give thanks to him.
Jesus himself prayed frequently, and taught his disciples to pray. He thanked God for having heard his prayer when he raised Lazarus from the dead. (John 11:41). A crucial element of successful prayer is faith. If your read the miracle stories in the gospel, you will find that faith is often mentioned. When Jesus healed he often said your faith has healed you.
Jesus prayed after the feeding of the five thousand people (Mark 6:42-46). You could follow his example and give thanks in your prayers when God grants a request.
He prayed before his crucifixion (Matthew 26:36-39) and we should pray whenever we feel fear.
Jesus strongly asserts the need for faith if prayer is to be effective. He says in Matthew 17:20 and 21:21 that faith can move mountains. Of course, a mountain is a metaphor. We often have "mountains" in our lives that need moving. It's faith and prayer that help us to overcome our troubles.
When prayer doesn't seem to be working, when we don't receive what we ask, remember that we must not ask wrongly, seeking merely our own pleasure (James 4:3).
St Paul teaches us to rejoice always, pray without ceasing, and give thanks under all circumstances. (1Thessalonians 5:16-18).
Jesus also taught that we should be persistent and not give up hope. (Luke 18:1)
The early church prayed in many situations, with sometimes, we're told, spectacular consequences.