What is Prayer?
Prayer is more than words; it’s a sacred invitation where you welcome God's holy presence—not as a distant observer, but as a loving Father and faithful friend—into your joys, struggles, hopes, and heartaches.
It’s recognizing God as the foundation and anchor in your life. With every whispered word or tear shed in stillness, you affirm that your hope and strength rest not in your own understanding, but in the loving guidance of God, the Father, and His Son, Jesus Christ.
It’s personal. Intimate. Raw.
In prayer, you strip away pretenses and speak with honest vulnerability through the Holy Spirit. You bring your real self—wounded, weary, joyful, or grateful—before the Lord who loves you eternally. With integrity, you ask for His intervention, not because He doesn’t know your needs, but because He delights in being invited to walk with you through them.
Most prayers often begin with a burden; a place of pain where you call out for God’s help. Desperate for relief to feeling broken or overwhelmed with the trials and tribulations of life. In truth, its rare people pray when life is joyful; however, to grow in faith and build your relationship with God, prayer needs to be daily—performed with the guidance of the Holy Spirit. When you rest in the Holy Spirit, words are released in ‘wordless groans’, as the Holy Spirit digs deep into your pain and the true you is revealed. It’s through Him, words flow from a place of love as He is the intercessor in Jesus, presenting requests on your behalf to God.
It's a practice, God holds dear. Even His own Son frequently withdrew to pray, as nothing Jesus did was without the approval of His Father:
How to Pray
Jesus describes in Matthew 6:5-13:
“And when you pray, do not be like the hypocrites, for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the street corners to be seen by others. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward in full. But when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you. And when you pray, do not keep on babbling like pagans, for they think they will be heard because of their many words. Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him.
This, then, is how you should pray:
For if you forgive other people when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you.”
A beautiful example of how to pray with adoration, recognition, forgiveness and protection.
There is no wrong way to pray, especially when you ask for guidance by the Holy Spirit. He provides you with the words. In my own prayer time, the words flow honestly and even when I stumble, the words are loving.
It’s true some prayers are answered immediately, while others take time. When waiting, trust in God's plan, knowing He responds at the right time and place.
Isaiah 30:18
“Therefore the Lord waits to be gracious to you, and therefore he exalts himself to show mercy to you. For the Lord is a God of justice; blessed are all those who wait for him.”
The waiting can be a test in itself, as some prayers are answered instantly while others can take years. A simple example, I was guided by the Holy Spirit to sell my car. It was the first car I ever owned, and I loved it—a black 2007 Volkswagen Touareg with a V8 engine. I remember the thrill of passing a vehicle the first time—the engine had a smooth roar, and speed was its calling. It was exhilarating. However, being a European car, it was costly to repair. I reached a point where the car had numerous issues, I couldn’t afford to fix. As I listed it in the Autotrader, I prayed for someone genuine to purchase it. In less than five minutes, I received a call from a serious buyer. The car was sold the next day. In another scenario, a friend prayed for her sister to encounter Christ. She prayed for nine years before the prayer was answered.
Your prayer may not be answered when you’d like it to be; however, you need to trust in God’s perfect timing. He knows how events need to unfold to produce ultimate results. The goal is to trust in Him.
In some cases, prayers aren’t answered, which can leave you heart broken or questioning whether God heard your prayer. That is the mystery of prayer; however, don’t let it deter you from praying. As in these moments, prayer is more than asking for help, it’s a time of devotion and God’s communion with you.
However, when two or more pray together, Jesus is with you.
Matthew 18:19-20
"Again, truly I tell you that if two of you on earth agree about anything they ask for, it will be done for them by my Father in heaven. For where two or three gather in my name, there am I with them."
A striking example of prayer’s power by many occurred during World War II between May 23 and June 4, 1940.
Hitler ordered the destruction of the French seaport of Dunkirk, deploying ground troops and fighter planes to wipe it out. The anticipated loss was 300,000 British troops. In response, the British army launched a daring rescue mission. A total of 860 vessels, many of them small civilian fishing boats vulnerable to rough waters, crossed the English Channel to assist. Despite the risks, these courageous fishermen volunteered, as the army lacked the resources to evacuate the vast number of soldiers stranded at Dunkirk. As they set sail, King George VI declared a national day of prayer, and three remarkable miracles occurred...
An unseasonable storm at precisely the right moment began to battle the coast of France with such torrential force, the planes were grounded.
For no reason whatsoever—Hitler and His High Command issued an executive order to halt the advancing forces. For 3 days they didn’t move. Nazi generals were furious and to this day military historians are baffled with this decision.
An extraordinary calm descended upon the English Channel allowing the evacuation to proceed. As a result, 338,000 lives were rescued.
Churchill declared it a ‘miracle of deliverance’.
1 Thessalonians 5:17 – “Pray without ceasing.”
Prayer is not only about changing circumstances but also transforming hearts.
As you establish a devotional time with Jesus in prayer, take time in resting in the word of God. In this practice your relationship with God deepens as you communicate with Him throughout the day. By spending this intimate time with the Father, you’ll begin to notice changes—a calmness that wasn’t there before.
It’s also acting as an intercessor for others by seeking opportunities to pray for their needs when they’re in difficult seasons.
To pray is a beautiful invitation to build a relationship with a loving and merciful Father. Not only with Him, but the Son, as Jesus is the intercessor on your behalf. No one goes to the Father except through Him.
“I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me”
(John 14:6).
Three important things to remember about prayer:
1. Pray through the Holy Spirit as He will guide you.
2. Follow the example Jesus gave in how to pray with the ‘Our Father’. Start with adoration, thanksgiving, confession, then personal requests.
3. That Jesus is the gap between you and the Father, presenting your petitions.
As you grow in your faith, dedicate time to be with God in prayer and invite Him into your daily thoughts. In doing so, you will experience His peace and presence in every aspect of your life.
Matthew 6:6:
"But when you pray, go into your inner room, shut the door, and pray to your Father who is in secret; and your Father who sees in secret will repay you."
To assist in this process, I created a Prayer Journal …
The journal is in a digital format where you can print as many copies of each page as you like. The design is based on a variety of different formats that you can choose to build your relationship and prayer time with Christ Jesus.
For more information on the journal click here or the Journal Cover above to guide you to my ETSY store.
The Prayer Journal is the perfect opportunity to meet with Jesus in secret. To voice the words, ‘here I am, Lord, waiting in quiet solitude to be alone with you.’ In this moment, Jesus will be there, as He desires to hear your voice, words, and guidance given through the Holy Spirit.
As Christians, prayer is one of the important acts you can do to strengthen your relationship with God, next to reading and meditating on the Word.
When I first became a Christian, I didn’t know what to say or how to pray. I subscribed to www.iBelieve.com to obtain prayer examples to help me. But what I lacked was daily devotion and being consistent with spending time with God, and His Son, Jesus. It’s the main reason I created a Prayer Journal to develop a routine and grow my faith.
The journal has been an immense tool in creating a daily practice, meditating on scripture, and building my relationship with the Holy Trinity. There are numerous times when I’m in awe by the words of encouragement from God, His Son, Jesus, and prayers guided through the Holy Spirit. It’s humbling knowing their presence with identifying areas I need to improve upon.
It’s been such an inspiration that my new focus is creating additional journals with different themes, as life isn’t black and white it’s everything in between. The place of different seasons where God guides you in lessons to increase your faith and trust in Him more and more.
I’ve learned if things don’t change, it means you haven’t given it to God completely. Sometimes there are threads still attached that need to be healed.
The best way to become aware of these areas is through prayer and listening with an open heart to the gentle and sometimes harsh voice of the Holy Spirit. I think of Him as a Father. He instructs, disciplines, guides, and you’re bound to follow Him as you are bound to Jesus. A relationship blessed in the blood of Jesus. A sacred covenant that can never been broken.
It's the motivator for creating other journals. A project I’m committed to working on to provide you, the reader, with choices that closely relate to your season.
In closing, prayer is powerful, intimate, and personal. A petition to our Heavenly Father to intercede on behalf of others. Mostly, it’s communicating and expressing with heart felt passion, to a God who sacrificed everything to break the curse of sin that separated you from Him. He desires to hear your words, be in His presence, and learn to love Him more and more. Allow the Holy Spirit to provide words if you don’t know what to say. Remember, God eagerly awaits to hear your voice, heartfelt words, so He can create miracles in your life.
God Bless,
Hi, I’m Cathy.
A blogger, photographer, author, passionately driven to pointing people away from new age indoctrination to find redemption in Jesus Christ.
I’m a mixed blend, excited to share all I offer...
Blog-Twisted Roots
Do you find yourself asking questions about new age, whether the practices and beliefs are leading your soul to redemption?
As a reformed new ager, I was saturated in the belief I could co-create with the universe and manifest a life of abundance. But I was deceived. This blog is to point you to the truth of God’s words and how He perceives the new age indoctrination.
Fine Art Photography
I always dreamed of being a professional photographer when I grew up. It was a journey to reach this goal, but I did it!
I owned a home-based studio for over a decade but have been shooting images for two decades. Now, semi-retired, I have a collection of my most cherished images of landscape or nature available for wall décor.
