Prayer, to me, is an ongoing conversation with God. It hasn't always been that way, though. I - like many people - used to think of prayer only as a formal time of sitting, hands folded and head bowed, and talking to God about things I needed and things I was worried about. It had little depth to it, and therefore had little impact on my life, spiritual or otherwise.

As I am coming to know God better, though, prayer is starting to look different in my life. Really knowing God requires an awareness of how good He is and how much He loves me, as well as an acknowledgement of all He does for me. When you come to know more and more about Him, a conversation with God cannot be simply a list of requests. At that point, prayer starts to flow from a different place within you; for me, it comes from a heart full of gratitude and amazement. I often sit and meditate on what God has done for me, both recently and in the distant past, and thank Him over and over for those things. I ask Him to make me aware of His presence and the things He is doing, and as He does, I can't help but feel - and express - genuine thanksgiving.

Of course, there is still a place in prayer for requests and concerns. God wants us to bring our hearts' desires to Him. However, I have come to realize that limiting my time of prayer to only being a list of things I want God to do seriously limits the depths of my relationship with Him. As with any friend, if you only go to Him when you need something from Him, the relationship can't grow and develop. It just can't. The same is true with God. Our conversations with Him have to be daily, ongoing, heartfelt, and two-way. He talks to us, and we talk to Him. That's what we do with people in our lives that we want to get to know better, and it should be no different with God. He does, after all, want to be our best friend, and for that to happen, we have to know each other inside and out. That can only happen through conversation.

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I pray because I believe the Holy Bible. The Bible is full of prayer, prayers of anguish and prayers of praise, prayers of faith and prayers of hope. If we believe what is written on all those pages, how can we not pray. Because of Jesus our prayers are heard and answered. Through Jesus, the Holy Spirit helps us by pleading for us and praying for us to the Father.

God invented the wireless phone thousands of years ago. He's had a Red Pearl, a Chocolate, a Razor. And no matter where he is, God always answers his calls. He is the one who can make things happen in our lives. "Ask and you will receive". "If sinful people give good gifts to their children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask him"? We have POWER with prayer. Prayer is confidence and well being, it's talking-out our difficulties and struggles, and releasing them to God.

My life definitely consists of prayer. I could and should pray more than I do and I am very grateful when others pray for me. I don't think we really realize how special prayer is.

Read what James, the half brother of Jesus, wrote in James 5:13-18.

~ Life is better with prayer ~

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What is prayer and why should I pray? "Prayer is spiritual communication between man and God, a two-way relationship in which man should not only talk to God but also listen to Him. Prayer to God is like a child's conversation with his father. It is natural for a child to ask his father for the things he needs." (Billy Graham). I do not pray like I should. I try and pray on the way to work, and of course I pray when I'm in trouble. Praying is not easy for me. I don't know what to say, especially in a group setting. I am uncomfortable, and I am scared I will say the wrong thing.

So--back to the original question--what is prayer? I found several definitions: the act of communicating with a deity, reverent petition to a deity, entreaty, which is an earnest or urgent request or someone who prays to God. So, prayer, in the simplest form, is communicating with God. I don't know why I have such a hard time doing this since I can talk to complete strangers and carry on lengthy conversations with them.

Prayer is a way to convey confessions, requests, intercessions, and thanksgiving to God. 1 Thess. 5:17 gives us the command to pray. We must have a pure heart when we pray (Psalm 66:18). We should pray to ask for God's help and to praise him for how He has blessed us.

I am guilty of asking God for things. I don't stop and thank him for what I have. Prayer is a two way street, where we ask God for things, but we also thank him. It is important to pray to God every day. I am guilty of not doing this. I have found, though, that on the days that I start my day with a prayer, things tend to run smoother. It gives me the assurance that God is in control and that no matter what happens, He is with me.

My favorite prayer to recite is Psalm 25. A popular Christian band, Third Day, has set this Psalm to music and I like to listen to the song on the way to work. My hope is that in time, I will be more comfortable going to my Father in prayer and thanksgiving. I have much to ask for and thank Him for.

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Prayer. The dictionary.com definition defines prayer as: "A spiritual communion with God or an object of worship, as in supplication, thanksgiving, adoration, or confession." So why do we pray? Prayer is our way to verbally communicate with our Creator. So why can't we see God face to face and talk to Him as if we where talking to a person? Well, I believe that the reason God has made Himself so mysterious in prayer is so that our faith is demonstrated in our prayers. We have to have faith that God is listening even if He doesn't respond right away, or else who are we talking too? Another reason I believe God doesn't approach us in a visible conversation is because of the free will He has given us. If God became visible and/or spoke to us just like a person would, that would prove God's existence and leave no choice for mankind but to be forced into following Him. Although that may seem like a perfect world to some Christians, it's not right. Without our freedom of choice, we are like machines. So, prayer is our way of communicating with our Creator in faith that He hears them and answers.

Sounds simple, right? Well, it's been a journey for me personally. I grew up in the church. My family would always pray before dinner. At church, we'd pray by reading something on a piece of paper. Although what I was doing was called "praying", I never really spoke to God. Words were coming out of my mouth, but it was only because it was a routine thing that I did every week. When I got a little older, I learned that it wasn't only at church that I could pray, I learned that I could pray when ever I needed something . . . so I stopped studying for tests and started praying for A's (it doesn't work, by the way). I found that I was still premature in my prayer life. It wasn't until I was 17 years old that I actually knew what it meant to talk to God. I attended a Youth event that changed my life and I felt God's spirit for the first time. From that moment on, I talk to God all the time. Prayers have been answered and I have no doubts at all of God not hearing my prayers. So have faith that your prayers are heard, God is always listening.

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