What Prayer Means to Me

Published on May 01, 2008 by Dani Cromwell

It was late on a Friday night and I was wishing  I was anywhere but at this prayer meeting. I was probably 11 years old at the time and could not believe that I was expected to attend, let alone enjoy or participate in an hour-long prayer meeting. I thought because I was young, I was exempt from boring things like prayer until I was an adult, at which time I would be expected to take my walk seriously. All of these things were running though my mind as I sat in the quiet living room with my eyes closed, sitting on the floor. The next thing I remember is being awakened up by my friend’s mom because I had not only fallen asleep, but also begun to snore. Of course I was embarrassed, but even more I was annoyed that they made me come and expected me to be interested. 

Clearly, my view of prayer was not accurate when I was younger. I thought it was only for adults and always boring. I didn’t understand that prayer could be powerful, meaningful and life changing. There are three things I have learned about prayer since then that I want to share with you.

Being Bold

Prayer is scary, especially if you pray out loud. There have been many opportunities to pray that I have passed up simply because I was too afraid to pray out loud. The simple fact is, you just have to do it. Praying in a group is an incredible way to talk to and experience the presence of God - and you should never shy away from it simply because you are afraid. 2 Corinthians 3:12 says, “Therefore, since we have such a hope, we should be bold.” We should all strive to pray together, for each other, with each other. We should want to share our requests and our praises with each other because it is such a great way to stay connected, challenge each other and grow together. Be bold for God.  Be bold in talking to Him through prayer.

Being Sincere

I will be the first to say that this is not easy for me. When I pray out loud, sometimes I feel like I am just talking to the people around me, not to the God of the Universe. Or I might be more concerned with sounding eloquent or clever than with laying my heart out before the Lord. The book of Matthew provides a great example of what we shouldn’t do in prayer: “And when you pray, do not be like the hypocrites, for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the street corners to be seen by men. I tell you the truth, they have received their reward in full...And when you pray, do not keep on babbling like pagans, for they think they will be heard because of their many words. Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him.” So be mindful while you pray; remember to whom you are speaking. The next time you pray (in a group, or on your own) make an effort to be totally sincere in your requests to God.

Being Consistent

A youth pastor once challenged me to spend an entire day in prayer. He didn’t mean down on my knees with my eyes closed, but rather to praise God throughout the day when something good happened or ask for wisdom when making choices. I took him up on his challenge and it was one of the best days of my life. I have never felt closer to the Lord then when I brought my entire day before Him. Not only did I feel close to God, but I also felt more comfortable in suggesting to pray in situations with others when we needed guidance. It wasn’t easy to remember at first, but just like most other things in life, practice makes perfect. It isn’t always easy to get into a routine of prayer, so you just have to commit. Acts talks about how the early church was consistent in meeting together often, “They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer.”  

I am still not perfect in all of these areas, but I know they are things that I should always be working on. I’ll be praying that God will help all of us to be bold, sincere, and consistent during our Year of Prayer.