for more information see chapter 6 of nicky gumbel's "alpha: questions of life" from which material on these pages is adapted.
prayer
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what is prayer?
prayer is the most important activity in a Christian's life. prayer is our always-on, direct line to God. it is our helpline - our way of asking God for help. it is also our feedback line - our way of thanking God for all the things he's done. if the bible is like a letter written to us by God, prayer is when he picks up the phone. it is exciting and challenging, but it doesn't involve any special language or words - just us, talking with God.jim graham once said: "prayer touches three worlds at one time. prayer touches heaven and God as nothing else can, prayer touches earth and affects man as nothing else will, and prayer touches hell and disturbs the devil more then any other human enterprise".
when a believing person prays, great things happen. (james 5:16b)
ask, and God will give to you. search, and you will find. knock, and the door will open for you. yes, everyone who asks will receive. everyone who searches will find. and everyone who knocks will have the door opened. (matthew 7:7-8)
do not worry about anything, but pray and ask God for everything you need, always giving thanks. (philippians 4:6)
who can pray?
anybody! prayer is not something that only vicars, ministers or really holy people can do, it's something everybody can do.why pray?
pray is a way for us to build a relationship with God. imagine a relationship where you never communicated with the other person - it wouldn't get very far. it's the same with God, we need to communicate with him to have a relationship. our guide in that relationship is Jesus and the relationship that he had with his Father and Jesus prayed a lot.early the next morning, while it was still dark, Jesus woke and left the house. he went to a lonely place, where he prayed (mark 1:35)
at that time, Jesus went off to a mountain to pray and he spent the night praying to God (luke 6:12)at the hardest time of his life, when Jesus knew he was about to be arrested, tortured and killed, his response was to go to a quiet place with his closest friend and spend the night in prayer.
prayer can bring joy and peace even in difficult times,
do not worry about anything, but pray and ask God for everything you need, always giving thanks. and God's peace, which is so great we cannot understand it, will keep your hearts and minds in Jesus Christ (philippians 4:6-7)and it really works. prayer changes things.
ask, and God will give to you, search and you will find. knock and the door will be open for you. yes, everyone who asks will receive, everyone who searches will find. and everyone who knocks will have the door opened (matthew 7:7-8)
where can i pray?
anywhere! obviously it's best to concentrate on a conversation with God in a quiet place where you won't be distracted however that's not always possible. in the street, in the shower, on the bus, at school or work - God hears you no matter where you are.when can i pray?
at any time:pray continually, and give thanks whatever happens. that is what God wants for you in Jesus Christ (1 thessalonians 5:17)you can pray to God when you need help - in times of trouble, in dangerous situations, when you are stressed or worried, before a test or exam. you can also pray to God when everything's going great and you've not got a care in the world - then is the perfect time to thank God for all your blessings and to pray for those less fortunate than you. God is like a loving parent and best friend all rolled into one and he's never to busy to listen to what you've got to say.
more importantly, it is important to put aside regular times when you can pray alone and not be distracted,
when you pray, you should go into your room and close the door and pray to your Father who cannot be seen. your Father can see what is done in secret, and he will reward you (matthew 6:6)as well as times when you can learn to pray with other people
also, i tell you that if two of you on earth agree about something and pray for it, it will be done for you by my Father in heaven. this is true because if two or three people come together in my name, i am there with them (matthew 18:19-20).