What is Prayer?

“What did you buy at the store?” I read the question out loud to Mei Mei.

She answered promptly. “At the store I bought the bag of chips.”

“A bag of chips; not the bag of chips.” I corrected.

I tried explaining to her that the is a definite article, an adjective used to describe nouns, a word that points to the uniqueness of the noun it precedes. She quickly cut me off.

“But what does “the” mean?”

Hmm…though the use of the word “the” is simply obvious to an English speaker, it is painfully confusing to an ESL student.

“On its own, the word “the’ has no meaning, Mei Mei”, I attempted. “It gains its meaning from its use.” 

Not quite satisfied with my answer, she agreed to move on in interest of time. But that question stuck with me. It’s the kind of question that you think you know the answer to until you must put it in words.

 This week in attempting to answer the question “What is prayer?” I felt a similar difficulty. Not necessarily in the sense that prayer is hard to define; I think the Bible does a phenomenal job at it. But it’s my opinion that, quite like the word the, prayer is used more frequently than it is defined. It runs the risk of being misunderstood by those who are unfamiliar with its purpose, and it makes more sense to the one who uses it most frequently.

In discovering or perhaps rediscovering the meaning of prayer, I would like to suggest 6 thoughts for your consideration.

1. Prayer is a great and gracious gift from our Father, as a means to draw near to him while we are yet in this fallen world. Much was lost when mankind sinned in the garden of Eden – but nothing as valuable as the fellowship that Adam and Eve enjoyed with God. Until we are united with Him in eternity, prayer makes it possible for us to still express ourselves to Him. It’s yet another magnificent example of how God is always the one making a way for us to be reconciled with Him. The Bible tells us in 1 Thessalonians 5 v 16-18 that it is the will of God that we pray without ceasing and in Proverbs 15 v 8 that the prayer of the upright pleases God.

• Prayer is an intentional expression (words, actions, or thoughts) of a human toward God, that is ordinarily addressed to the Father (Matthew 6 v 9), in the name of Jesus Christ (Ephesians 2 v 18), and through the power of the Holy Spirit (Romans 8 v 26,27).

• Prayer is unidirectional – it refers to OUR SEEKING God through words, actions or thoughts. It does not include God responding or speaking to us. In that sense it is not a conversation but a drawing close to the Holy One who knows all, preserves all, and accomplishes all to His glory. I want to quickly follow this up with my next point.

• The prayer of a righteous person is guaranteed to be heard and answered by the Father. This promise is made repeatedly in the Bible:

Psalm 145V18 “The Lord is near to all who call on Him, to all who call on Him in truth.”

I John 5 v 14,15 “This is the confidence we have in approaching God, that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us, And if we know that he hears in whatever we ask – we know that we have what we asked of him.”

Matthew 7 v7 “Ask and it shall be given unto you, seek and you shall find, knock and it shall be opened unto you”.

The Lord promises to respond to the prayers of His children. This should bring us great comfort – our prayers do not fall on deaf ears. In fact, this should motivate us to draw even closer. As the Psalmist says, “Because He inclined His ear to me, therefore I will call on Him as long as I live.

• Prayer must essentially follow God’s directive. In 2 Chronicles 7 v 14, we read the story of how God appeared to Solomon in the night in response to Solomon’s prayer over the newly built temple. God essentially defines the necessary conditions of prayer that He responds to. He says,

“If my people who are called by my name, humble themselves, and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and heal their land. Now my eyes will be open and my ears attentive to the prayer that is made in this place. For now I have chosen and consecrated this house that my name may be there forever. My eyes and my heart will be there for all time”.

This is fascinating because it spells out for us what kind of prayer pleases God and gains His audience. Four things stand out in this verse. First, He says, “My people called by my name,” implying that He is not obliged to keep this promise when it is not one of His own that is calling out to Him. It is a privilege for those of us who qualify in Christ, that we have the attention and compassion of the Father. Second, God is particular about the attitude in which we pray. He says, “If they…humble themselves”. Seeing God as who He is and ourselves as who we truly are, is an essential prerequisite to prayer. Third, He addresses the motivation of one’s prayer, “Seek my face”. When we treat God like a genie who grants wishes, or even expect a particular response, we will be disappointed. The reason we pray must be to seek God in all situations, so that He can give us the strength to live His will. A fourth observation is that our prayers must be accompanied by repentance and a change in behavior. The life of a child of God must reflect the transformed heart.

               We say all kinds of prayers, in all kinds of circumstances. God is not obliged to hear any of them. He is God and we are not.  It is upon us to heed the Word He has given and practice the prayer that is acceptable to Him.

• Prayers can take various forms. Throughout the Bible, OT and NT, we have a multitude of examples of people praying in the form of petitions, praise, worship, confession, thanksgiving, seeking God’s face, intercession, groaning, mourning. We must learn that we can bring all things to God in prayer.

The Bible has changed the way I pray. Just like the article “the” is understood in the context of its use, prayer is better understood when practiced in a Christian’s life. The need for it, the appropriate use of it, the One it emphasizes – all becomes clear when the believer comes to Him in prayer. These 6 observations from the Scriptures, which I have presented to you today, has helped me understand more accurately, that which I thought I knew. I hope it helps you too. I will close with this beautiful verse:

Philippians 4 v 6,7 “Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus”.