What is Prayer?

“Prayer is the expression of the human heart in conversation with God,” says Rosalind Rinker.  Just as we share our thoughts and feelings with someone close to us—a friend, our spouse, one of our children—prayer is a way of sharing our thoughts and feelings with God.

Prayer is expressed by talking to God. We may ask God for help if we’re in trouble or ask Him to help someone else who is. We can let Him know when we are afraid. We can share our questions and tell Him our deepest secrets. We can express gratitude to God for the good things in life.

The language of prayer also goes beyond words. It can be the crying out of one in pain.  It can be a cry of joy. It can be a sigh . . . or silence. It can be a dance or a song or the stillness and quiet of a listening heart.

People pray in different ways. Some people kneel as they pray. Others raise their hands or lie prostrate with arms stretched out. Still others pray as they walk in the woods or garden or commute to work.

A Two-Way Conversation

Prayer is a two-way conversation. It involves talking to God—sharing our thoughts and feelings—but it also involves listening. God speaks to us in many ways. Not dramatically in a booming voice or a message blazoned across the sky, but in common, everyday ways. He may speak to us through the encouragement of a friend or a life experience that offers new understanding or through a song on the radio that brings comfort when we’re struggling.

If prayer is the expression of the human heart in conversation with God, it is also the expression of God’s heart to us. As we become more aware of God’s presence and activity in our lives, we begin to recognize the ways He communicates with us.

How God Communicates with Us

God communicates with us in commonplace ways, but He also reveals His thoughts in more unusual ways: impressions, dreams and visions, even physical sensations. We may feel His tenderness and compassion during a time of grief or a sense of caution in a dangerous situation.

Although God speaks to us in various ways, the primary way He communicates with us is the Bible. The Bible is “alive and full of power” (Hebrews 4:12). God can use it to speak to us in surprising ways—to give us guidance, heal a hurt or fill us with hope. Through the Bible, we can experience a vital, personal contact with God we may have never thought possible.

Deepening Our Friendship with God

Prayer is a way to get to know God and deepen our friendship with Him. "Through prayer our human hearts are knit together with the heart of God," writes John Ortberg.

God invites each of us into a personal relationship with Him. He wants to be involved in our lives day by day, moment by moment. As we share our thoughts and feelings with Him and He shares His heart with us, our friendship with God develops and deepens. It is a life-long journey.