Participating with God through Prayer

James exhorts us to draw near to God (James 4:8, ESV). Likewise, the Psalmist encourages us to “seek his presence continually” (Psa. 105:4, ESV). One means of accomplishing this is through prayer.

There are many ways we can foster a meaningful prayer life:

Abide in the instructions of Jesus (John 15:7).
Devote a consistent time to concentrated prayer (Psa. 5:3; Luke 18:1–8).
Maintain an attitude that continually invites God into our activities and seeks His counsel (1 Thess. 5:17).
Be thankful and express our gratitude to God (Php. 4:6).
Believe that God is listening to our prayers (Psa. 34:15; 1 John 5:14).
Believe that God desires to respond to our prayers (Matt. 21:22).
Understand that, while God is not obligated to respond to our prayers, He is a merciful God who does hear and respond (Dan. 9:18).
Understand that unconfessed sin interferes with our prayers (Psa. 66:18; James 5:16).
Ask for things that align themselves with the heart of God rather than our personal desires (James 4:3).
Ask things of God boldly and with confidence (Heb. 4:16).
Submit our will and understanding to God, knowing that He knows best (Mark 9:24).

Not only does prayer move our hearts closer to God, but it can also move God’s heart. James writes, “The earnest prayer of a righteous person has great power and produces wonderful results” (James 5:16b). In other words, God responds to our prayers. Indeed, when Moses pleaded with God for mercy upon the Hebrews (Exo. 32:11–13), the Bible records, “The LORD changed his mind about the terrible disaster he had threatened to bring on his people” (Exo. 32:14). Incredibly, this happened not once but twice (Num. 14:17–20)!

Philosopher Blaise Pascal writes, “God has instituted prayer so as to confer upon His creatures the dignity of being causes.”^[1] Similarly, author and pastor John Mark Comer writes:

Prayer is what Moses did with God in the tent. What Jesus did with the Father in Gethsemane. It’s brutally honest, naked, and vulnerable. It’s when your deepest desires and fears and hopes and dreams leak out of your mouth with no inhibition. It’s when you talk to God with the edit button in the off position and you feel safe and heard and loved. It’s the kind of relational exchange you can’t get enough of. And our prayers make a difference. … Our prayers have the potential to alter the course of history. And God’s action in history is, in some strange way, contingent on our prayers.^[2]

In other words, prayer is when we express to God how we feel about our experiences and the world around us, and it is when we share our feelings and ideas for how God’s will may best be accomplished. Skye Jethani writes:

We are not merely passive set pieces in a prearranged cosmic drama, but we are active participants with God in the writing, directing, design, and action that unfolds. Prayer, therefore, is much more than asking God for this or that outcome. It is drawing into communion with him and there taking up our privileged role as his people. In prayer, we are invited to join him in directing the course of his world.^[3]

Therefore, one of the most effective ways of becoming God’s cultural influencers is to participate with God in prayer.

This article comes from Heart of a Forerunner: How to Be a Relevant and Influential Voice in a Wayward Nation