The Importance of Prayer In The Life of a Believer
- Christy Bee
- Dec 4, 2023
- 9 min read
By: Dr. Christy Bee
Photocred: andreswd via iStock Photos
Growing up in church, I was taught that prayer is important to the life of a believer. I remember my days in Sunday school learning the song "Read your bible, pray everyday, pray everyday, pray everyday; read your bible, pray everyday and you'll grow, grow, grow..." Prayer was not only important for our growth as Christians, but it was also how we could (1) give honor to God and thank Him for His goodness, (2) ask for the things we needed and (3) seek the miraculous works of God in the lives of those who needed it. Prayer was communicated as a necessity for Christian living and was embedded in all that we did--every Sunday service there was a time reserved for communal prayer and before any meeting or class began we would open up in prayer. Even in my family home, prayer was a part of our daily lives.
As I look back on my upbringing, I am thankful for the heritage of prayer that I come from and can see how God used my early days to form in me a desire to pray and habit of doing so. I am also thankful for it because I know that not all believers have the same experience. And while I honor my upbringing, I also wonder what it would have looked like if the importance of prayer, what it can achieve in the life of a believer and how to do it effectively was emphasized and taught as much as the command to pray, was.
Where you ever taught how to pray?
0%Yes
0%No
Over the years, in the many conversations I've had with different believers, they all can agree that prayer is important to the lives of those who profess the Christian faith. However when it comes to explaining why it is important or modeling how one should pray effectively, there isn't as much consistency or confidence in their responses. I've also seen many believers be afraid of praying in front of others whether a small number of people or a crowd, or them simply saying "I don't know how to pray the right way." Other believers have many questions about prayer, but don't feel as if they have a credible source they can go to to learn about prayer and have their questions answered. This has always broken my heart and as a result, a big part of my ministerial context and responsibility as a Christian leader has become my debunking the questions people have about prayer and equipping them with the tools they need to pray effectively. So for today's post, I want to first start with what prayer is and then explore why it is important.
Can you confidently explain why it is important for Christians to pray?
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0%No
What Is Prayer?
It is our means of communicating with God
In essence, prayer is a spiritual discipline believers practice to communicate with God. It is the place where we can honestly express our thoughts and emotions to Him, ask our questions and make our requests known. Some of the words used in the Bible for when people pray are palal, athar, paga which translate from Hebrew to mean to judge, to intercede or make supplication for, to invest or earnestly ask, or to meet with God. Prayer in the scripture is an act of worship that allows man to communicate with their God and ask for what they need. However, prayer is not just an opportunity for believers to talk to God. Essential to effective communication is not only the verbal expression of ones thoughts and emotions, but also their ability to listen to that of the other party.
When we pray, God responds.
This implies that an important component of prayer is listening to hear what God has to say in response to those engaging in this form of communication with Him. But how exactly can I hear the voice of God in prayer? In John 10:5,27 Jesus says "A stranger they will not follow, but they will flee from him, for they do not know the voice of strangers. My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me."
This tells us that the first key to hearing the voice of God is being able to identify His voice from others and that cannot happen well if you don't read your Bible. God will never speak a word that contradicts what is written in the Bible, but the enemy will. So in order for us to develop the skill of hearing God's voice and discerning His response to our prayers, we have to develop the habit of reading His Word and learning His voice, there. This tells us that the spiritual disciplines of prayer and reading/studying the Word of God go hand in hand in order for them to be done correctly.
Honestly, I could write an entire blog series on hearing the voice of God--if that is something you're interested in learning more about, leave me a comment below to let me know. But for now, let's shift to why prayer is important.
Why Is Prayer Important?
1. It helps us to develop deeper intimacy with God
For any relationship to thrive, there must be healthy and consistent communication between the parties involved. This is one of the reasons why prayer is important--without it, we would be unable to communicate with God and develop deeper intimacy with Him. All throughout scripture, we are given the command to continuously pray like in Luke 18:1 where Jesus taught that believers ought to always pray and not grow faint or weak in doing so. Similarly in 1 Thessalonians 5:17, Paul admonishes the church of Thessalonica to pray without ceasing.
Jesus also modeled for the disciples how to pray in Matthew 13, and consistently took time away from his disciples, the crowds and the demands of his ministry to commune with the Father through prayer. What then does this mean for us? If Jesus, the perfect son of God had to intentionally make time to pray, how much more should we, humans with faults, have to make time to pray?
If Jesus, the perfect son of God had to intentionally make time to pray, how much more should we, humans with faults, have to make time to pray?
My answer? All the more! In order for us to build deeper intimacy with God, we must obey the commands in the word to pray continuously.
2. It unlocks the miraculous in the world around us
When believers pray in faith to God, they are able to effect change here on Earth and unlock the miraculous in the world around them. When we pray, we are partnering with God's kingdom and making room for His will to be made manifest, here on Earth. Consider some of the many examples of this we are given in Scripture:
Moses prayed and delivered Israel from God's wrath (Numbers 11:1-2).
Hannah prayed for a child after years of barrenness and received one (1 Samuel 1).
Elijah prayed and brought the widow's son back to life (1 Kings 17:17-24).
Solomon prayed and received wisdom from God (1 Kings 3).
Jesus prayed and as a result 5 fish and 2 loaves of bread were supernaturally multiplied to feed over 5,000 people (Matthew 14:17-19).
Peter prayed for Tabitha and she rose from the dead (Acts 9:40).
Paul and Silas prayed and it activated their supernatural release from prison (Acts 16:25-34).
These are only some of many examples from Scripture of how through prayer, mere human beings were able to partner with God in His kingdom coming to life in world around them. However, prayer is not only about what God wants to do through us, it is also about the work that He wants to do in us. When we pray, it is not only about asking God to do the miraculous--to heal, provide, resurrect and deliver--prayer is also a way for believers to become aware of God's will and align with the work He wants to do within them.
Prayer is not only about what God wants to do through us, it is also about the work that He wants to do in us.
3. It is a gift that keeps on giving
Prayer is also important because it is the gift that keeps on giving. Not only does prayer allow us to communicate with God in heaven and activate the miraculous in the world around us, but it also is a place of exchange. In Matthew 11:28-30 Jesus says "Come unto me all who labor and are heavy laden and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light." In the place of prayer is where this holy exchange that Jesus describes can happen. Here in the place of prayer, the believer gives to Jesus their burdens, worries and sins and receive in exchange the gift of His peace, forgiveness and rest. In prayer, the weary find hope and strength, the confused find clarity and answers, the sinner finds forgiveness, the sick finds healing and those in need find their provision.
I must stop to add that sometimes when we pray, our situation doesn't immediately change, but rather, God does a work in us by giving us a new perspective, healing our hearts, or strengthening our faith. When God responds to prayer by doing a work in us, it is because (1) He wants us to focus our attention on Him and not the situation, (2) He wants our souls to experience peace in the midst of the storm, (3) He wants to develop our character for the days and seasons ahead. When we pray, we are able to partner with God in the work He wants to do in us and the result is that it brings the peace we needed to endure whatever circumstance is before us.
Ultimately, I believe that prayer in the life of a believer is what a lifeline is to a utility worker working on an elevated job site--a source of safety that is necessary for their success in their work. Have you ever seen a trained worker completing a job on a roof without being connected to a lifeline? If yes--they definitely need to be reported for violating OSHA Safety Rules & Regulations. However, your answer should be, no. Governing authorities mandate that workers working a specific height above the ground or at a slanted angle, be connected to a lifeline to mitigate any falls. How the lifeline works is that one end connects to the waist of the worker and the other end connects to a source of anchorage which is a stable and secure item that won't budge as the worker moves. Prayer is the lifeline that keeps us connected to Christ our anchor and keeps us from falling. For this reason, it is vitally important to the life of all believers.
Prayer is the lifeline that keeps us connected to Christ our anchor and keeps us from falling. For this reason, it is vitally important to the life of all believers.
In closing, I'd like to remind you of the words of the Sunday school song I introduced at the beginning of this blog post: "Read your bible, pray everyday, pray everyday, pray everyday; read your bible, pray everyday and you'll grow, grow, grow..."
God wills that you would grow in your faith and intimacy with Him. He wills that you would grow in your understanding of who you are in Him and the many treasures you have been given in Christ. He wills that you would understand the authority He has given you and the role He is inviting you to play in the establishment of His kingdom here on Earth. God also wills that you would know Him and His ways and emulate those in your daily life. However, none of that is possible if we are not communing with the Father through prayer and studying His Word. So the invitation I sense God giving to us all, is one to journey deeper in prayer and devotion to Him today and the days to come. His arms are open inviting you closer--will your answer be "yes?"
Earlier in this blog post I mentioned how grievous to my soul it is that some Christians feel as if they do not have a credible place they can go to, to learn about prayer and have the questions they have concerning it, answered. For those who are a part of this blog community, this is your invitation to see this blog as your safe place. If you have any questions about prayer, leave them in a comment below and I will be sure to answer them either directly, or within a new blog post. (If you don't have any questions, but this blog post was a blessing to you, feel free to also leave a comment below to let me know!)
Finally, tomorrow, December 5, 2023 at 6:30pm, I will be hosting the first of many virtual prayer meetings to lead others in how to baqas or seek the face and will of the Lord through prayer. If you are in need of a safe place to learn how to pray, join me and bring a friend along! Use the link below to register, today and I will see you there!
With love,
Dr. Christy Bee
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