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What Does Prayer Look Like?

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Every morning in my home, a healthy devotional routine takes place before the day gets away from me. My little prayer system works well, but can always use heart adjustments. Rising before anyone in the house, I grab my coffee, blanket, sit in my favorite chair surrounded by the Bible and devotionals and begin with prayer.

This prayer routine probably looks different than yours...and that is ok! A certain place, posture or words is not what makes prayer - prayer. In fact prayer is not about just prayer. Think about your cell phone, its primary purpose is not for itself but to serve as a conduit and connection we use for relationships and contact. If we held up the phone without engaging another person with it, we are not making it do what it was created to do. Likewise, even if our attempts at prayer look and feel like prayer, they are not truly prayer if God is not engaged. 

Prayer at its heart, is communicating with God. Reverently and openly. Sincerely interacting with the magnificent God of  the universe who is really there. 

Some of the reasons we should desire to truly commune with God are to:

Intimately know, love and worship Him:
Prayer is about an intimate sharing and fellowship between two loving parties. Relationship and worship are keys. Prayer is on ongoing, daily way to know God better and to comprehend more of who He is and what He does. The more we know Him and experience Him, the deeper we grow in our respect and love for Him. Knowing and loving Him leads us to worshiping Him. The natural response to the presence of God is worship. 

Prayer is communion with God in order to understand and conform our lives to His will and ways. 
Prayer doesn't merely change things, it changes us. As we pray, God reveals His will and ways to us and begins to align our hearts and minds with His. We don't ask Him to configure Himself around the way we want to live, we bring ourselves up under His authority. The more time we spend with God, the more humble, unselfish and like Jesus we will become. 

Prayer is communion with God in order to access and advance His kingdom, power and glory. When we pray we are seeking to access God's kingdom resources for His mighty power to work on our behalf and for Him to reveal His glory in our situation. God is unlimited in His capacity to accomplish anything. Prayer allows us the priceless privilege to not only know Almighty God better, but to join Him in what He is already doing among the nations for His glory. 

So, prayer is not about prayer, but about a Person - God Himself. If it becomes merely about accessing the provision or protection of God rather than knowing and pleasing the Person of God, we are getting off track.

But when the one goal of our praying is to live in relationship with Him - one on One, He will cause prayer to also help us experience His purposes, plans, provision, protection and all He intends for His glory. 

Be encouraged to find  routine - a daily committed time and place for prayer, but turn the intent to the Person of God. And watch what He can do in your!
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