What:

Prayer is the intentional means of verbally expressing your desires and gratitude to God with the help of the Holy Spirit. "...those who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God...you received the Spirit of sonship. And by him [the Holy Spirit] we cry, 'Abba, Father.' The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are God's children" (Romans 8:14-16) The holy relationship between God and Christians is like that of the relationship between a father and child. When we pray, we are like children who talk in full dependence and reliance upon our heavenly father's good, just, and sovereign nature. The ability for Christians to pray is an unmerited, completely voluntary blessing from God. He loved us and sought a relationship with us so much so that He sent His son, Jesus, to die on the cross for us. Originally condemned to eternal death, we are now washed pure of our sins and are redeemed by the blood of Jesus Christ that was shed because God, this unfathomably beautiful being for which the entire universe is but a footstool, would not rest in Heaven without us and saw Heaven to be incomplete without us. Prayer reminds us of our need and want of Him. It helps us remember that God is in control of our lives. And from God, only good things can come. Therefore, prayer also frees us.

How:

Come to God. Tell Him everything. Your struggles, your doubts, your joys, your insecurities, your questions, your weaknesses—lay everything before Him. Present to Him all your requests. He loves to hear prayers and is so eager to hear them that in Isaiah 65:24, God says, "It will also come to pass that before they call, I will answer; and while they are still speaking, I will hear." He even sends you the Holy Spirit as an added measure to help, protect, and encourage you in your prayers: “…the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groans that words cannot express," (Romans 8:26). Don't worry if you aren't eloquent. Don't worry if this feels awkward or foreign to you. Don't worry if you feel like you've been having an "un-Christian"-like week. Just come to God. Seek Him. Be persistent. He yearns for you. He is actively pursuing you and will not stop until you are forever with Him in heaven. He seeks to break down your temporary and imperfect kingdom so that you can enter His. Come just as you are. Flawed and broken, this is when God finds you so precious and beautiful. Seek a quiet place. Ask God for the Spirit and talk to Him. Turn to Christian believers to pray for you as well. You are His child and He is your father. How much does He delight in you and your presence! How much does He want to rid you of your sins! So, just come. Just pray.

To submit a prayer request to our prayer team, visit this page If you have any questions or would like to discuss further the topic of prayer, we urge you to email cru-prayerministry@googlegroups.com.