Prayer is one of the fundamental actions of every Christian. At its most basic, prayer is talking with God. God invites us to talk with Him, to let Him know what is on our minds and hearts, and to make our requests known to Him.
The Bible is filled with examples of prayers of all different sorts. Dozens, perhaps hundreds of people have conversations with God in the Bible. These conversations can teach us innumerable lessons about prayer. Here are a few of these lessons that are often repeated in the Scriptures.
When we talk to God, He listens. The apostle John writes, “And this is the confidence that we have toward Him, that if we ask anything according to His will He hears us” (1 John 5:14).
Several psalms share this reality as well. Psalm 34 repeats God’s promise to hear our prayers four different times. Here’s one example from verse 6: “This poor man cried, and the LORD heard him and saved him out of all his troubles.”
The same is true for us. We are invited to talk with God, day or night, out loud or silently, from wherever we are. God wants to hear from us. He promises to listen.
Not only does God listen to our prayers, but God also cares about us. He does not listen out of obligation. He listens out of love. Several Bible passages remind us of this truth, including 1 Peter 5:7, which invites the posture of “casting all your anxieties on Him, because He cares for you.”
The author of Hebrews likewise points out this gracious invitation: “Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need” (Hebrews 4:16).
God is not some aloof boss who is just waiting for you to mess up so that He can yell at you. God loves you, cares for you, wants what is best for you, and wants to talk with you.
As we read through the Bible, we find prayers with various tones. Some biblical prayers are filled with sorrow. For example, here are the opening lines of Psalm 69:
Save me, O God! For the waters have come up to my neck. I sink in deep mire, where there is no foothold; I have come into deep waters, and the flood sweeps over me. I am weary with my crying out; my throat is parched. My eyes grow dim with waiting for my God.” (Psalm 69:1–3)
Others are filled with uncontainable joy. For example, here are a few lines from Psalm 150:
Praise the LORD! Praise God in His sanctuary; praise Him in His mighty heavens! Praise Him for His mighty deeds; praise Him according to His excellent greatness! … Let everything that has breath praise the LORD! Praise the LORD!” (Psalm 150:1–2, 6)
We can even speak with God when we are angry at Him, when we are questioning His silence and inaction. Here are the opening words of Psalm 10:
Why, O LORD, do You stand far away? Why do You hide Yourself in times of trouble? (Psalm 10:1)
I have found that some people are uncomfortable praying in a way that feels confrontational. It almost feels disrespectful to speak to God with such raw boldness. God can handle whatever emotions we are going through. He can handle our tone, our questions, our anger. We don’t have to calm down before we start praying. God invites that deep honesty. We are invited to talk with God in joy or sorrow or anger or any other possible emotion. In bringing these to God, we learn how to lament and how to rejoice.
God’s listening to our prayers does not depend on how articulate or eloquent we are. In fact, the Holy Spirit helps us when we don’t know what to say or how to pray. The apostle Paul reminds us, “Likewise the Spirit helps us in our weakness. For we do not know what to pray for as we ought, but the Spirit Himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words” (Romans 8:26). When we struggle to pray, the Spirit translates the deepest longings of our hearts. Relying on the Spirit’s intercession teaches us about our own limitations.
When we struggle with what words to say in prayer, we also have the prayers of those who have gone before us at our fingertips. The book of Psalms is a collection of ancient prayers that we are invited not simply to read but also to pray. We are encouraged to make these prayers our own.
Countless other lessons about prayer can be found in the Scriptures. God invites us into the depths of His Word and into continued conversation with Him in prayer.
Scripture: ESV®