What is prayer?

At its core, prayer is simple: talking to God.

It’s not just quiet thinking or spiritual meditation. It’s a real conversation between you and the One who created you. For anyone who follows Jesus, prayer is how we share our thoughts, emotions, and needs with God—and it’s also how we spend time with Him.

Prayer isn’t one-size-fits-all. It can be:

• Spoken or silent
• Private or shared with others
• Structured or totally spontaneous

But no matter how we pray, the Bible makes a few things clear:

• We pray with faith (James 1:6)
• In the name of Jesus (John 16:23)
• With help from the Holy Spirit (Romans 8:26)

The International Standard Bible Encyclopedia puts it like this: “Christian prayer is addressed to God as Father, in the name of Christ as Mediator, and through the enabling grace of the indwelling Spirit.”

Those who want nothing to do with God don’t care to pray (Psalm 10:4). But God’s children? We’re drawn to it. Like in Luke 11:1, where the disciples asked, “Lord, teach us to pray.”

How the Bible Describes Prayer

Scripture gives us so many pictures of what prayer looks like:

• Asking for God’s favor (Exodus 32:11)
• Pouring out our hearts (1 Samuel 1:15)
• Crying out for help (2 Chronicles 32:20)
• Getting close to God (Psalm 73:28)
• Kneeling in surrender (Ephesians 3:14)

And in Philippians 4:6–7, Paul says:
Don’t worry about anything, but pray about everything. Tell God what you need and thank Him for what He’s done. Then you’ll experience His peace—which goes beyond understanding. That peace will guard your heart and mind in Christ.

Worried? Pray.
Grateful? Pray.
Confused? Pray.
Need peace? You guessed it—pray.

How Often Should We Pray?

The Bible says: “Pray without ceasing.” (1 Thessalonians 5:17)

In other words, prayer isn’t just a one-time event. It’s an ongoing conversation throughout your day. Like texting a close friend—you stay connected.

Some people use the ACTS model (Adoration, Confession, Thanksgiving, Supplication), and that’s great. But the Bible doesn’t give a strict formula. The key is just to pray—anywhere, anytime, in any situation.

Why? Because prayer grows your relationship with God. It shows that you trust Him. That you depend on Him.

Why We Pray

We don’t pray to impress God. We pray to connect with Him.

We pray to:

• Praise Him
• Thank Him
• Tell Him we love Him
• Share what’s going on in our lives
• Ask for help, direction, or wisdom

God loves this. Just like any parent loves hearing from their kids, God loves hearing from us. That’s what prayer is—fellowship with our Father.

Too often, we make it more complicated than it needs to be. But prayer? It’s simple.

When We Ask for Things

When we bring our requests to God, we’re being honest about what we’re hoping for. But we also remember something important: God sees the bigger picture.

He knows what’s best.

So even when we ask for something, we do it with this heart: “Not my will, but Yours be done.”

That’s what it means to pray according to His will (1 John 5:14–15; James 4:3). Prayer is less about getting our way and more about learning to walk in His.

Final Thoughts

The Bible is filled with people who prayed—and with encouragements to pray:

• Always pray and never give up. (Luke 18:1)
• Be faithful in prayer. (Romans 12:12)
• Pray in the Spirit on all occasions. (Ephesians 6:18)

Jesus even said His Father’s house should be known as a house of prayer (Mark 11:17).

And if you’re a believer? You’re called to be a person of prayer.

As Jude 1:20–21 says:
Build yourselves up in your most holy faith and pray in the Holy Spirit. Keep yourselves in God’s love.

So don’t overthink it. Just talk to God.