Prayer is…
I use an application called PrayerMate to help me pray through lists of people and partnerships.
But before the daily people lists come up, I start the prayer session with a digital card from my ‘Reminders and content to prayer’ list. The intention is for these cards to help focus me to pray. They include prayers from the New Testament (like Eph 1:15-23), various Psalms (like Ps 62:8 or 121:1-2), references to prayer (like 1 Pet 4:7-8 or Micah 7:7) and various prayer quotes (like ones from Luther, J. H. Jowett, Ryle, Brownlow North etc). Or lastly, one of the cards is ‘Motives to pray’, which contains 5 simple phrases about what prayer is. I find these usually help tune my heart to pray.
So, what is prayer?
1. Prayer is a privilege.
His children coming before their Father in heaven.
We get to speak to our Father in heaven (Matt 6:6-8, 9-13; 7:11). Children, secure because of God’s Son Jesus (1 John 2:1-2) and with the very Holy Spirit aiding (Rom 8:15), are allowed to address the maker of heaven and earth – with boldness and confidence, as their very Father! May I grasp this great privilege with joy as I pray.
2. Prayer is a reflection.
Prayer to God reflects faith and trust in God.
Frequently, when I am prayerless it shows faithlessness in God. The opposite is true: prayer is an expression of trust in God - giving him our concerns and worries (cf. reflecting on Ps 46:1; Phil 4:6; Ps 112:7; Prov 3:5-6), asking him to better shape our yearnings towards the Gospel of his Son (Matt 6:32-33), and much more. May I reflect trust in him as I pray to him - Lord, I do believe, help me in my unbelief (Mark 9:24).
3. Prayer is a necessity.
Unless the Lord builds the house (Ps 127:1-2)… or provides, or saves, or matures…
All the deep things that need doing, be it salvation, or maturity, or change, or provision – all those are things God must do if they are to last and be true. And so, prayer to the Triune God is a necessity. May I keep praying for the Father to do what only he can do.
4. Prayer is a responsibility.
Bear one another’s burdens (Gal 6:2); pray that the Lord may open doors for the word (Col 4:3); we will devote ourselves to prayer and to the ministry of the word (Acts 6:4)
In Jesus, we have been renewed to love God and to love others. That includes now the responsibility to pray for fellow saints in their struggles and burdens – what a good way to partly carry out Gal 6:2 and so to love our brothers and sisters in Christ. Or to pray in line with God’s love for Jesus’ name to go out – cf. Paul requesting this in Col 4:3. And especially for those of us in full-time paid Christian ministry, we are not only to be prepping and preaching the word, but also praying the word and for people – and the Apostles’ words in Acts 6:4 are such a good model to reflect on. May I step into the responsibility, with my prayer and plans, to pray for others and after what God desires.
5. Prayer is a discipline.
Be alert and sober-minded FOR prayer (1 Pet 4:7); Devote yourselves to prayer; stay alert IN it with thanksgiving (Col 4:2-4)
Nothing good comes easy. Distractions and shallow thinking are all around us. And yet, considering the needs, and the End being near (cf. 1 Pet 4:7) we are urged to be alert and sober minded FOR prayer! This will, by God’s grace take discipline – and why shouldn’t it? May I have the discipline under Christ and in practise, to devote myself to prayer.
Much more things we could say 'Prayer is' - and I'm sure many better things to say too! And likely, over the coming years, I’ll continue to add more ‘Prayer is…’ phrases. But at the moment, these are ones I often reflect on, and pray from to my Father above.
God-willing they might also spur you on to actually pray!
