What is prayer?
Even the disciples asked Jesus, “Lord, teach us to pray!”
Jesus taught by example, not always by definition. Yet, we still find ourselves attempting to define prayer to help us better understand the what and the how of it.
Defining prayer is both easy and difficult.
I have read many good definitions over the years, and realized that compiling some of those definitions here may be of benefit to others.
I will be updating this post as I pull out old books and journals, so make sure to pin this post and revisit it.
To begin, I wanted to share a few paragraphs on prayer from my Grandfather that I found helpful. The words below were written by my grandfather over 40 years ago in his bestselling book, How to Begin the Christian Life.
With his permission, I’ve shared a few of those paragraphs below.
from How to Begin the Christian Life by Dr. George Sweeting
What is Prayer?
The dictionary describes prayer as a reverent or devout petition to God, an entreaty. Certainly prayer is that.The simplest definition of prayer is the three letter word cry.In Romans 8:15, Paul says, “For you did not receive the spirit of bondage again to fear, but you received the Spirit of adoption by whom we cry out, ‘Abba, Father.’”
Prayer is a cry. When we pray, we are crying out to God.“Lord help me.”“Lord, give me wisdom.”“Lord, reveal yourself to me.”Prayer is a cry.Just as a little child cries to his parent, we cry to God.
A.W. Tozer reminds us, “When Peter was starting to sink under those waters of Galilee, he had no time to consult the margin of someone’s Bible to find out how he should pray.He just prayed out of his heart and out of his desperation, ‘Lord, save me!’”
But prayer is also a call. In Jeremiah 33:3, Jehovah’s words are “Call to Me, and I will answer you, and show you great and mighty things, which you do not know.”
Prayer is asking.Again, our Lord said in Luke 11:9, “Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you.”
But prayer is also communion. “How rare it is,” said Fenelon, “to find a soul quiet enough to hear God speak.”Prayer is talking to God and having Him talk to us.It is spending time in communion with our heavenly Father.
One day the five-year-old son of D.L. Moody went into the study where his father sat writing.Wanting no interruptions, Mr. Moody gruffly asked, “Well, what do you want?”
“Nothing, Daddy,” the boy replied.“I just wanted to be where you are.”Sitting on the floor, he began to amuse himself quietly.He desired only companionship.
G. Campbell Morgan, the gifted English preacher, relates that it was “this little incident, told by Mr. Moody, that helped me greatly to understand the true meaning of prayer.To pray is to be where Jesus is.When we are in His presence, we need nothing more to pray prevailingly.”