Prayer. The word just sounds religious and for a lot of people it sounds outdated and possibly foreign. Others think prayer is mysterious, maybe magical or even a complete crock.

And then there are those people who feel the way I do about prayer. Through prayer we have an opportunity to communicate and exchange dialogue with God. It is conversational, not scripted. It involves speaking and listening. It’s not mysterious or magical, but it is supernatural. It does not have to be scheduled, it can be spontaneous. Location does not matter, and physical positioning isn’t integral either.

There are likely people who would disagree with me on what I’ve already said here about prayer, however my intention is not to be controversial or to be offensive on this subject.  Rather my intention is to express what prayer is to me personally and why it is important to me.

As I read the Bible and see a verse like 1 Thessalonians 5:17 which says, “pray continually” I have come to the conclusion that I can pray anywhere and anytime. I don’t see prayer as a religious ceremony; I see it as a conversation style that works in my personal relationship with Jesus Christ.

That’s where I’m coming from. I have a personal relationship with Jesus Christ first and foremost. Not a religion. As I view what I have as a personal relationship, I build that relationship through communication.  Similar, in some ways, to a relationship with another person.

I can’t imagine trying to have a relationship with someone who never spoke to me and would only listen to me if I spoke certain specific words in a pre-determined order at a set time and in a specific location. That kind of a relationship wouldn’t work for me.

If I need to talk to someone, I get in front of them, whether it’s in person, on the phone, through a text or an email, whether it’s verbal, written or digital; I’m going to connect with them.

Obviously I am not able to phone, text, or email God to communicate with Him. I literally just talk to God. Sometimes the conversation is lengthy, other times it is short and to the point.  Sometimes I do most of the talking and other times I’m very, very quiet.

Philippians 4:6 is a favourite verse of mine on prayer. It says, “Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.”

I love that I can take anything and everything to God; that I can pour out my heart with every care and concern to Him. I am so grateful and thankful that He is interested in all the details of my life.

Here’s the answer to the title of this blog post – Why Prayer is Important to Me – because I know He listens and because He answers prayer. For real.

I could write and write and write some more about all of the answered prayers I’ve had in my life. Has every prayer I’ve made been answered the way I wanted?  Absolutely not. But that doesn’t discourage me in the least because God answers prayer. If we persist in our prayers and we pray according to His will and purposes, He will answer. What the answer will look like is up to Him.

My plan is to share my thoughts on different aspects of prayer over the course of this month and hopefully to encourage others to spend time and effort in building a personal relationship with Jesus Christ.

I continue to pray that God will be glorified each and every day for as long as He gives me breath through what I feel He leads me to do.

Be blessed.