Introduction
As believers in Christ, prayer is essential to our daily life. We must make this a daily habit. Jesus Christ is our example, and it is apparent in the Gospels that he lived a life of prayer. He continually communed with the Father.
Prayer is one of the most beautiful things we have in our lives, and the effects of prayer are overwhelming. One benefit is it allows us to connect with Father God. This is where we develop our relationship with him.
Has anyone ever told you that God spoke something to them? Were you like, REALLY, I'm not sure about that? You may even think God has never told me anything. But, I promise you, as you develop a life of prayer, he will be speaking to you consistently. Will it be auditable? Maybe, but most commonly, he speaks to us through our spirit.
Me, I have heard God audibly one time. All other times, it is the still, small voice in my spirit where I listen to him speaking to me.
I encourage you today to begin developing your prayer life. Be determined to set time aside to do so. It adds a quality of life, many health benefits, and a sense of connection to the Lord. Also, I have received physical healing through prayer. God is good!
Benefits of Prayer
1. It helps You Deepen Your Relationship with God
Proverbs 15:29 (NLT) The LORD is far from the wicked, but he hears the prayers of the righteous.
Hebrews 4:16 (NLT) So let us come boldly to the throne of our gracious God. There we will receive his mercy, and we will find grace to help us when we need it most.
James 4:8 (NLT) Come close to God, and God will come close to you. Wash your hands, you sinners; purify your hearts, for your loyalty, is divided between God and the world.
Hebrews 11:6 (NLT) And it is impossible to please God without faith. Anyone who wants to come to him must believe that God exists and that he rewards those who sincerely seek him.
Many say they pray, but unfortunately, God doesn’t hear all prayers. Instead, the Word says he hears the prayers of the righteous. The righteous are those who have made their hearts right with Jesus by making him Lord over their lives.
There is nothing more in my life that I want than to get closer to the Lord. This should be all of our desires, and it’s the same for God himself.
How precious is it to have such a loving Father God that he permits us to rush into the throne room when we need something or want to be with him? He is continuously there, wanting to develop a personal relationship with you!
For years, I can say that I struggled in this area. I soon learned the key is “ME.” The relationship with God is not lacking on his side. He is always ready. We need to be the ones to pursue him. As we do so, he will draw closer to us.
Today, I can joyfully say I pursue him constantly; I have a strong belief in prayer. If I start lacking in prayer, I get it fixed immediately! I have to be with him daily!
Know this; I didn’t get there overnight. It took time and persistence on my part. I have a long way to go, but I am getting there, and you can do the same!
2. Redirects Your Focus on the Things of God
Hebrews 12:2 (NLT2) We do this by keeping our eyes on Jesus, the champion who initiates and perfects our faith. Because of the joy awaiting him, he endured the cross, disregarding its shame. Now he is seated in the place of honor beside God’s throne.
Jeremiah 29:13 (NLT) If you look for me wholeheartedly, you will find me.
Colossians 3:1-2 (NLT) Since you have been raised to new life with Christ, set your sights on the realities of heaven, where Christ sits in the place of honor at God’s right hand. 2 Think about the things of heaven, not the things of earth.
I always try to do this in all areas of my life. I must keep my focus on the Lord. I have realized that I will mess everything up if God is not included in my life. In every single detail.
Some may say, Shawn, isn’t that extreme?! Absolutely NOT! It is not extreme! Jesus went to the cross and died for me! I could at least surrender all to him. If he felt I was important enough to die for, he is important enough to live for!
Prayer will help you to keep your heart focused on him. There are so many distractions every day. We need a reminder of who to keep our spiritual sight on! I do this every morning in my time of prayer. He helps me start my day off in the right direction.
3. Unlocks Gratitude and Thankfulness
1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 (NLT) 1Always be joyful. 17 Never stop praying. 18 Be thankful in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you who belong to Christ Jesus.
2 Corinthians 9:15 (NLT) Thank God for this gift too wonderful for words!
Thankfulness and gratitude will give you the right outlook on life! When you have a horrible attitude and are ungrateful, it makes your life horrible. Your outlook on everything is negative.
Thankfulness and gratitude bring us freedom. Also, if you know where all goodness comes from, you are filled with such a knowledge of God and what he is doing in your life!
In my prayer time, it is not uncommon for me to start marching around the house and claiming all the reasons why I am thankful! I start finding all the little reasons. To some, this may be silly, but for me, it's NOT!
As I do so, my spirit starts bubbling up inside of me! I start seeing all the good things coming my way through God. I can’t wait to start my day!
This also sets a precedent for the day as well. I catch myself continuously thanking him all day long!
4. Achieve New Levels of Confident Hope in God
Romans 15:13 (NLT) I pray that God, the source of hope, will fill you completely with joy and peace because you trust in him. Then you will overflow with confident hope through the power of the Holy Spirit.
There is nothing like having confident hope in God. You know that you know that you can trust him! This brings us a level of joy and peace in our lives.
The other day, my wife told me I love being in your arms because I feel safe with you. It’s the same when you have this level of confident hope in him.
When praying, we can get into the shadow of the Almighty. It’s where we can shut the world off and be filled with who he is. It’s a way of preparing for the day to know you can achieve everything he is placing in your heart!
5. Helps You Attain the Promises of God in Your Life
2 Corinthians 1:20 (NLT) 20 For all of God’s promises have been fulfilled in Christ with a resounding “Yes!” And through Christ, our “Amen” (which means “Yes”) ascends to God for his glory.
Matthew 7:7 (NLT) 7 “Keep on asking, and you will receive what you ask for. Keep on seeking, and you will find. Keep on knocking, and the door will be opened to you.
Every promise God has made has been fulfilled through Jesus Christ! Those promises are available to you! If they are in the Word of God, they are ours to have and operate in them.
As you can see from Matthew, it says to ask, seek, and knock. These, to me, are different forms of prayer and seeking the Lord.
The Word clearly states you will receive what you ask for. You will find what you are seeking. Also, the Lord will open the door you are knocking on will be opened to you.
6. It’s a Path to Reduced Anxiety and Experiencing Calm
1 Peter 5:7 (AMP) 7 Casting the whole of your care [all your anxieties, all your worries, all your concerns, once and for all] on Him, for He cares for you affectionately and cares about you watchfully.
Philippians 4:6-7 (NLT) Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done. 7 Then you will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus.
Worry and anxiety were something I struggled with as a young believer in the Lord; they were my close companions. I can remember times when I would allow it to eat me up.
I knew I had to get control over it. Reading the Bible and spending time with God made it clear he didn’t have this for my life.
The breakthrough came through getting a little book on God’s promises. Scriptures filled the book with encouragement. I would read these scriptures over and over during my prayer time. Also, whenever I felt worried and anxious during the day, I read these scriptures in the promise book.
Today, I can say that I have gained victory. It is rare for me to worry or have anxiety. To be free from it, it all started in my prayer closet. When they try to return, I have learned to spend time with the Lord in prayer quickly, and feelings of peace flood my heart. I begin to reassure myself who God is in my life.
7. Hear from God and Tap into His Direction for Your Life
Luke 11:10 (NLT2) For everyone who asks, receives. Everyone who seeks, finds. And to everyone who knocks, the door will be opened.
Proverbs 3:5-6 (NLT) Trust in the LORD with all your heart; do not depend on your own understanding. 6 Seek his will in all you do, and he will show you which path to take.
James 1:5 (NLT) If you need wisdom, ask our generous God, and he will give it to you. He will not rebuke you for asking.
We all need to have the Lord direct in our lives. The Bible is clear that he will guide our steps.
The Lord has a plan and purpose for all of our lives, but the knowledge of it starts in the time of prayer. The Father will begin to reveal where he wants us to go when we pray.
I can still remember when God led me to start my first business. It was such an incredible feeling to know he was guiding me. Peace and joy flooded my life, knowing I was on the right track.
Since then, he has led me in many areas of my life. He has moved me to a different state in the USA and then off to foreign countries. He has shown us how to open an international ministry and much more, but this all happened in times of prayer.
8. It Helps to Shape Your Heart and Attitudes Toward God
Ezekiel 36:26 (NLT) And I will give you a new heart, and I will put a new spirit in you. I will take out your stony, stubborn heart and give you a tender, responsive heart.
Matthew 15:8 (NLT) ‘These people honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me.
Jeremiah 24:7 (NLT) I will give them hearts that recognize me as the LORD. They will be my people, and I will be their God, for they will return to me wholeheartedly.
The old saying “your attitude will determine your altitude” rings true with our relationship with the Father. If we don’t have the right heart and attitude, it can stop us right in our tracks.
I remember many times when I wasn’t getting my way with God or the people I was dealing with. My attitude was horrible. All I could see was, what about me? My thoughts were so self-centered. I never considered anyone else but myself.
In the times of prayer, I would go before the Lord wanting my way, but as I would pray, the Holy Spirit would begin to minister to me. He would show me how I needed to fix my attitude. I needed a better heart for whatever situation I was dealing with.
I can say this; these times are when the Lord would mold me and shape me into who I am today. It all has taken place in prayer.
9. Prayer Helps You to Conquer Sin and Temptations
2 Corinthians 10:4-5 (NLT) We use God’s mighty weapons, not worldly weapons, to knock down the strongholds of human reasoning and to destroy false arguments. 5 We destroy every proud obstacle that keeps people from knowing God. We capture their rebellious thoughts and teach them to obey Christ.
Philippians 4:8 (NLT) And now, dear brothers and sisters, one final thing. Fix your thoughts on what is true, and honorable, and right, and pure, and lovely, and admirable. Think about things that are excellent and worthy of praise.
WE ALL struggle with sin; there is not one person in the world that doesn’t. So don’t ever feel you are alone in your current situation. Others may not be struggling with the same sin as you.
NOW, do we ignore this and say, I am human, and it’s okay to have sin in my life? Absolutely not! We all need to get victory over sin in our lives.
I can say this, just this morning; I was praying to the Lord. I brought up to him the attitude I had with someone on the phone the other day. I didn’t deal with it properly. I got angry because I couldn’t get my way.
In prayer, I was embarrassed that I acted that way. I repented to the Lord and asked the Holy Spirit to help me in these times. I don’t want sin to operate in my life! I want to be free from it, and we can do this in our prayer time with the Lord.
10. It Helps You Become Aware of the Needs of Others
James 5:16 (NLT) Confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The earnest prayer of a righteous person has great power and produces wonderful results.
Colossians 1:9-12 (NLT) So we have not stopped praying for you since we first heard about you. We ask God to give you complete knowledge of his will and to give you spiritual wisdom and understanding. 10 Then the way you live will always honor and please the Lord, and your lives will produce every kind of good fruit. All the while, you will grow as you learn to know God better and better. 11 We also pray that you will be strengthened with all his glorious power so you will have all the endurance and patience you need. May you be filled with joy, 12 always thanking the Father. He has enabled you to share in the inheritance that belongs to his people, who live in the light.
I saved the best for last. Why do I say that? Because we see Jesus, our most excellent example, as giving all to all.
He died on the cross for the entire world; so that we all could have the opportunity to have an intimate relationship with the Father.
We should have the same heart to want to give all to others around us. What better way to do so? In our time of prayer.
We often want to take all our concerns and needs to God. We want to pray for everything we want but neglect to do so for others.
This is our opportunity to think of others and pray to God about their needs. You may say, I don’t know of anything to pray for. But, I promise you, if you give it some thought and ask the Holy Spirit to show you, he will.
Through your prayers, you can change someone’s life. Think how powerful that can be!
Closing
Prayer is so powerful, and the things we can accomplish in our prayer time are unlimited. So give it a chance, and I believe you will experience the power of doing so.
God wants you to have an intimate relationship with him that you can’t even imagine. We cannot comprehend the extent of his love for us. Give him a chance. Take a chance. Dive deep into a life a prayer, and I promise you, you will see these benefits and much more as a result!
Scriptures on Benefits of Prayer
Matthew 21:22
Philippians 4:6
2 Chronicles 7:14
James 5:16
1 Peter 5:7
1 John 5:14
Psalm 145:18
Matthew 18:20
Frequently Asked Questions
What is prayer?
Prayer is an integral part of a Christian's life, as it allows us to communicate directly with God. Believers in Christ should seek to develop a daily prayer life.
What is the purpose of prayer?
The purpose of prayer can vary, but common reasons for prayer include seeking guidance, giving thanks, asking for help, and expressing gratitude.
Are there different types of prayer?
The Bible mentions different types of prayer; some are private, corporate, worship, thanksgiving, faith, consecration, intercessory prayers, or through the Holy Spirit (tongues or prayer language).
How do people pray?
People can pray in various ways, including silent meditation, speaking or singing aloud, reciting written prayers, or group prayer.
Shawn Paul is an author and missionary who has been living and working in Central America for the past 10 years. He is passionate about living for Jesus Christ and inspiring others to do the same, which is the focus of his blog, where he shares his expertise in Christianity.
In addition to his missionary work, Shawn enjoys reading books, studying God's Word, growing plants and flowers, feeding birds, and keeping up with the latest technology.
As a writer, Shawn's unique perspective and passion for his faith shine through in his work. Shawn's goal for the future is to impact people around the world for Jesus through his writing and missionary work.