Prayer|Tree Top Ministries, Inc

Prayer

Author: M. Nicholas Brady

Published: 08/21/2021

Prayer is the most intimate form of relationship with God, our Father, and the Creator of all things. Prayer is access to the Source - the Source of all things.

Prayer is the single most important activity that a Christian can do! It's more important than reading the Bible, attending church, giving, worship, or serving others. Without the connection to the Source, we cannot serve God.

Yes, I am the vine; you are the branches. Those who remain in me, and I in them, will produce much fruit. For apart from me you can do nothing.
John 15:5 NLT

As Christians, we have accepted the sacrifice that Jesus made for our sins. This sacrifice means that we are washed clean of sin, and we can enter into the very presence of God with our prayers and petitions.

So let us come boldly to the throne of our gracious God. There we will receive his mercy, and we will find grace to help us when we need it most.
Hebrews 4:16 NLT

Because of Christ and our faith in him, we can now come boldly and confidently into God's presence.
Ephesians 3:12 NLT

How wonderful it is that we, as Christians, can enter into the presence of God because of the sacrifice of Jesus Christ. How wonderful it is that God loves us so much that he gave his only Son, Jesus, to make it possible for us to do this. Therefore, because we have such a great privilege, daily participation in prayer is something that every Christian should be involved in. Prayer is intimacy with God.

Prayer is How We Develop A Relationship With God
The quality and depth of our relationship with God are directly proportional to the amount of time we spend in prayer! What kind of relationship would you have with your spouse if you only spent 5 minutes a day with them? What type of relationship would you have with your children if you only spoke to them once a week? The same is true with our relationship with God.

Here's the amazing thing, God, the Creator of the universe, longs and desires intimacy with us and to have a relationship with us. He seeks it out.

Or do you think Scripture says without reason that he jealously longs for the spirit he has caused to dwell in us?
James 4:5 NIV

Oppressive governments, evil people, and bad actors can take away churches, preaching, and Bibles, but they can never take away our ability to pray.

Preparing To Pray
A Christian can pray anywhere, at any time, and in any position. We can pray standing, sitting, lying, upside down, underwater, on our knees, in a car, in a boat, in an airplane, eyes closed, or eyes open. Buzz Aldrin prayed on the moon. There is nothing wrong or unholy about any of this.

There is, however, a need for a special daily prayer in our spiritual walk. On the night before Jesus chose twelve of his disciples to become apostles, Jesus prayed all night (Luke 6:12). Jesus rose early in the morning (while it was still dark) and slipped away to a solitary place to pray (Mark 1:35). Our daily prayer requires us to have an isolated area where we can be alone with God without interruption. We should also try to set aside the same time to pray each day.

If the troubles of my day make it hard for me to focus during prayer, I find it helpful to read the Bible during my prep time. This is probably a sound practice regardless of your state of mind though I do not do it.

Praying
Prayer is having a conversation with the God of the universe and our Father, who loves us more than any other thing in existence. It should not be distant; it should be deeply intimate.

There is no "wrong way" to pray as long as it comes from the heart. In the presence of your loving Father, you can pour out your heart. There is worship, praise, love, joy, and adoration. There is also anger, rage, loneliness, depression, misery, and gloom. Take everything before him.

Give all your worries and cares to God, for he cares about you.
1 Peter 5:7 NLT

Here are some guidelines:

Spend most of your prayer time in fellowship with him. Experience the relationship. Worship and adore him. Be thankful for the many blessing he has supplied to all of us.
Listen. As you sit in silence, God will speak to you. He will bring to mind many different things. This could include past sins or future revelations. Mostly he will show you what to do in your current circumstances.
Don't spend the whole time asking God for things. Nevertheless, ask for something if you need it.
Pray for others. There are a great many people in the world who have no one at all praying for them.

The critical thing to understand is that prayer brings us into the presence of our loving Father. It brings us into companionship with holiness. If we enter into such a place daily, we cannot help but to be profoundly transformed.

Praying in the Spirit
Paul talks about praying in the Spirit.

And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the Lords people.
Ephesians 6:18 NIV

Praying in the Spirit happens when we pray to the Father, and words simply do not express our joy, pain, grief, empathy, thanksgiving, or compassion for a situation. Our spirit communicates our raw emotion directly to the throne of God through the Holy Spirit (Rom. 8:26) without words.

Most Christians have no idea what it means to pray in the Spirit. Many Christians have never prayed in the Spirit because it seems unstructured and unordered. Many Christians have prayed in the Spirit and did not know it. From the verse in Ephesians (6:18), we see that Paul encourages us and recommends that we pray in the Spirit. It is part of putting on the full armor of God (Eph. 6:10-18).

Jude also tells us to pray in the Spirit as a fundamental attribute of Christian living:

But you, beloved, building yourselves up in your most holy faith and praying in the Holy Spirit, keep yourselves in the love of God, waiting for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ that leads to eternal life.
Jude 1:20-21 ESV

To pray in the Spirit, simply let go!

As you pray to the Father and emotions begin to well up inside of you, simply let go. Let those raw emotions flow directly through your prayer; without words. Let the floodgates of your heart open and pour out its contents in the presence of our Creator. It may or may not be accompanied by speaking in tongues, not the languages of people here on earth, but in the language of the angels (1 Cor. 13:1).

For if you have the ability to speak in tongues, you will be talking only to God, since people wont be able to understand you. You will be speaking by the power of the Spirit, but it will all be mysterious.
I Corinthians 14:2 NLT

It may be accompanied by crying, laughing, or moaning. Praying in the Spirit produces within us a sense of balance; a centered approach to life. It is far more than the peace that passes all understanding (Phil. 4:7). It is a spiritual grounding. It is more analogous to the glowing face of Moses after he spoke with the LORD (Exodus 34:29-35). While we don't have radiant faces, we have an inner radiance seen in our outer appearance.

Final Word
If you are a Believer in Christ Jesus but not spending time in prayer daily, you are missing out on the most beautiful aspect of being a Christian here on earth. Prayer is essential for peace, answers, strength, and growing in Christ. Prayer also produces faith because as the Lord speaks to you and answers your prayers, your faith increases as you see and understand just how involved he is in our lives.

Pray!