What is Prayer?

Today, we are living in desperate times. Yet, the Church is not desperate before God in prayer. Jesus said to Peter, James, and John, "What? Could you not watch with me one hour?" (Matthew 26:40 NKJV). We say, "Shame on you, Peter! Shame on you, John! How terrible! Not watching with the Lord for even one hour!" But look out. Whenever you point a finger at someone else, there are three pointing back at you.

Prayer is the most important activity a born-again Christian can engage in. It should head your list of priorities, for certainly the world around us desperately needs prayer. Prayer will open the door for God to do a glorious work in these last days. Prayer will stem the tide of evil.

This collection of studies on prayer presents you with certain Scriptures, thoughts, and rules. When you put them into practice in your life, they will bring you into a new relationship with God, and help you to experience a more effective and dynamic prayer life in which to do battle against the evil forces in these last days. We wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against spirit powers and principalities, thus the weapons of our warfare cannot be carnal. Prayer is the most potent weapon that we possess in our spiritual arsenal and by it we can pull down the strongholds of the enemy. Does Satan have a strong hold on your city government? Does he have a strong hold on your husband or wife or children? Through this book you will learn how to break down these strong holds.

What is Prayer?

Prayer can be expressed in three basic forms: worship, petition, and intercession, with variations within each form.

1. Worship

The first form of prayer is worship. It is a spontaneous result from the conscious awareness of God. As I realize the greatness of God and His nearness to me and His love for me, I naturally respond with deep, inner worship of Him. One day I watched a little gnat flying around. I was amazed at how small it was, and yet so wonderfully designed. He was able to defy the laws of gravity, suspending himself in the air and then darting around rapidly. I thought, "God you are so wise in the design of even small forms of life."

Worshipping God for His creative genius is a form of prayer - that consciousness of who He is and what He has done inspires worship. When I recognize the wisdom and power of God, I stand in awe of Him. Thanksgiving and praise arise spontaneously as I become conscious of the goodness of God to me that I know I do not deserve.

Christians should engage in this form of communion and prayer constantly. We should become more conscious of Him as He speaks to us through nature. We see His power in the storm and lightning. We smell His loveliness in a rose. We see His design in a daisy. "In the rustling grass, I hear Him pass, He speaks to me everywhere." Sometimes we verbalize our worship; often we don't. It's simply an overwhelming feeling within our hearts as God manifests Himself to us in a thousand different ways. We just say, "Ohhh, God is so good!" We worship Him and commune with Him in the recognition of His love and grace.

2. Petition

The second form of prayer is petition, that is in the narrow sense, as I bring my personal needs before God and ask Him for the help that I need so desperately. Day by day I cry out to the Lord for His wisdom, guidance, strength, and provision. There are some people who dismiss personal petition prayer as selfish. They say that it's wrong to pray for anything for yourself because you ought to be thinking more of others.

As part of my initiation into the Hi Y Club in Jr. High I had to memorize this poem.

Lord, let me live from day to day,
In such a self-forgetting way,
That even when I kneel to pray,
My prayer will be for others.
Help me in all the things I do,
To ever be sincerely true,
To know that all I do for You,
Must needs be done for others.
Others, Lord, yes others,
Let this my motto be.
Help me to live for others,
That I might live for Thee.

It is beautiful poetry that expresses truth. I should pray for others and be concerned with their needs. Nevertheless, I must also be concerned in prayer with my own needs. Call it what you want, but I have certain definite needs that must be met before I can be of benefit to others.

The Bible says, "The husbandman that laboureth must be first partaker of the fruits" (II Timothy 2:6). In other words, you can't give what you don't have. Like measles, you can't give 'em unless you got 'em. Therefore, I must first be a partaker of God's grace, love, strength, and power. Then, as I partake, I have something to share with others.

One of Jesus' disciples said, "Lord, teach us to pray, as John also taught his disciples." Jesus then taught that model prayer: "Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done, in earth as it is in heaven." (Luke 11:1-2). 

The first part of the prayer is addressed to God - worshipping God for what He is: "Hallowed be thy name." Then comes the prayer for the kingdom of God: "Thy kingdom come." We are to seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness. The very next petition is "Give us day by day our daily bread and lead us not into temptation; but deliver us from evil" (Luke 11:3-4). These are personal petitions for my own needs. I do have needs, and God wants me to bring those needs before Him. There's nothing wrong with praying and asking God to supply my rent money or whatever else I might need.

3. Intercession

The third form of prayer, intercession, is the type of prayer that can be considered work. Worshipping God is not work - that's glorious! It's spontaneous, beautiful communion and fellowship with God. Petition isn't too much work because I'm so interested in what I need that I can become involved in it very easily. But when I begin to intercede, then I must labor.

Paul, in his closing remarks to the church at Colosse, makes mention of one of his fellow laborers, Epaphras. "Epaphras, who is one of you, a servant of Christ, saluteth you, always laboring “fervently in prayer" (Colossians 4:12). Here prayer is described as work.

Through intercessory prayer I reach out beyond myself and pray, not for my own needs, but for the needs of those around me. I pray for my family, friends, and neighbors who don't yet know Jesus Christ. I pray for the needs of those in the Body of Christ. I bring before God all the various needs of others that have come to my attention.

It is during intercessory prayer that I become aware of what prayer actually is: a spiritual battle.

This article is an excerpt from the book “Effective Prayer Life” by Pastor Chuck Smith. © The Word for Today. Reproduced with permission. This book is available on iBooks (free) and Kindle ($0.99). Visit pastorchuck.org for this and other great resources from Pastor Chuck Smith.