Prayer - What is it?

Luke 11:1 - One day Jesus was praying in a certain place. When he finished, one of his disciples said to him, “Lord, teach us to pray”. 2 - And he said unto them, When ye pray, say, Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name.

Many scholars have given us  a wide array of definitions for prayer and its various connotations. Prayer is talking to God. Prayer is making known our requests to God. Its communion with God. And what about its variations? Supplications, requests, intercessions, praise, thanksgiving and the list goes on.

Many Christians today know all about prayer but they never prayer. Many pray just to satisfy the conscience. Still other pray three times a day: breakfast, lunch and dinner and occasionally before retiring to bed just to say "Good night Lord". We all know prayer is important. Its akin to the air we breath. No air we die, no prayer we die too. Yet how many really pray?

Jesus, the son of God was always in prayer. Early in the morning, before making important decisions, in fact the ministry of Jesus was punctuated more with prayer than anything else. I would not be wrong to say, prayer was His first ministry, people came second. If prayer was so important to Jesus, should it not also be important to us, His disciples?

What is prayer?

The disciples asked Jesus to teach them to pray. And here Jesus gives the most profound meaning of prayer.

First it a relationship.   Jesus opened prayer with these sacred words. "Our father". In th original Greek, its equivalent to, "My Daddy". No other religion dares to address God as father. It was foreign to the Jews, The Muslims will never call God father, for the simple reason God cannot have a son. The concept is foreign to the Hindus and the other world views. But here comes Jesus and calls God, Daddy. No wonder the disciples asked Jesus to teach them to pray becasue they have never seen anyone, not even a prophet or a priest,  in the past addressing God as father. They knew Jesus had a special relationship and they desperately wanted that.For many of us, prayer is all about asking God and having prayers answered. We get disappointed and sometimes even angry when our prayers are delayed, worst still not answered. But if we understand that prayer is a relationship, than the answer or the absence thereof, does not form part of the equation. Because this relationship is a living relationship, I speal with my Father and He speaks with me.

Second, its an intimate relationship.   Calling God, Daddy is the most intimate form of address. When a man calls his father Daddy, it sparks a joyful response in the father. It tells the listener the kind of relationship, this man and the father are having. Jesus had that kind of relationship. "I know You always hear me", Jesus said of His Father. " I only do what I see and hear from my Father,". These are words of an intimate relationship. The relationship is so intimate that the writer to the Hebrews tell us, Heb 10:19-21 - Therefore, brothers and sisters, since we have confidence to enter the Most Holy Place by the blood of Jesus, by a new and living way opened for us through the curtain, that is, his body, and since we have a great priest over the house of God, let us draw near to God with a sincere heart and with the full assurance that faith brings, We don't have to seek an audience or make an appointment, like we do for the world authorities. There is freedom, boldness, there is closeness and joy in His presence. It talks about knowing what the Father likes or dislikes. I remember when I was courting my wife, we would spend hours on the phone, as thought the whole world does not exit. Why? becasue I want to get to know her, everything about her, even the minute details.. Time was not a factor. Sleep was not a factor. In the same way, we can only develop an intimate relationship with God, when we spent time in His presence. There us no other secret formula. Every great man of God will attest to this important fact. Prayer, intimate prayer is the key to a wonderful relationship with God. There is where we leant about God's heart, what He wants and what He has for you and me. Have you called God Daddy in the most intimate way? or is He still "God" and I say this with deep respect. Sadly many times, when we go to God in prayer, time becomes a factor, other gadgets, like our cell phones, must also be around and many times we are on a three way conference, the only difference, God is only the listener, the one calling us on the cell phone take center stage. And we are still in prayer??

Third, it is a holy intimate relationship.   Hollowed be thy name or Your name is Holy. Its like the Catholics addressing the Pope, Holy Father. Its an honor, a reverence, a mark of respect. In our intimacy with God, we should never forget that God is Holy. See that our relationship with God , does not cross the boundary of holiness. The intimate relationship with God is only sustainable in the atmosphere of holiness. The pronouncement of God's holiness, while acknowledging the basis of the relationship, it also reflects on the worshiper. "Be ye holy, for I your God am holy". Because God is holy, I want to be holy. And the best part, I don't have to do it on my own The Holy Spirit in me, my Counselor, my Paraclete, helps me in my infirmity. Oh what a blessing. I don't have to struggle anymore like in Romans 7 bt an free as in Roms 8:1-2 - Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit who gives life has set you free from the law of sin and death.

 This then answers the question, What is prayer? -  It s a holy intimate relationship with God.

If this is the case, does the answer to pray matter anymore?