This morning's Gospel sees Jesus praying for his disciples – for their unity, that God would protect them from the Evil One and that they might be consecrated by truth. But just what is prayer? And what is the point of prayer and praying?  Why bother to do it?

For a person who believes in God, the Christian life is a two sided friendship, and prayer is the way that our friendship grows and develops. It is a friendship with God.  Prayer is speaking with God about anything, at any time, anywhere.  It is to Christian what breathing is to the human body.  Prayer can be likened to a direct link with headquarters, somewhat like a walkie-talkie, where you can keep in touch all the time.  Prayer links you directly with your leader, Jesus.  So through this link advice, help and guidance are constantly available, if are willing to open yourself to God’s reply. 

It is said that God knows everything.  This fact, of course, is true.  So then, why pray?  We can say to ourselves, “God surely isn’t interested in me and my small needs; he has far more important things to attend to”, or “God has all his plans worked out beforehand, so my praying won’t change anything”, or even “Surely prayer is a bit pagan, as though we have to force God to do what we want”.  All through history men and women of God have been aware of these arguments and others too, but did that stop them praying?  No it didn’t, and why?  Because God had both told them and prompted them to do just that!

Prayer is away of getting to know God and what he wants us to do.  Although God is far greater than anything we can ever imagine, he has stooped – incredibly – to ask for our friendship.  Prayer is one of the ways in which that friendship is worked out.  So by praying we deepen our friendship with God.  But prayer is not just asking for things.  Prayer is being with God and sharing things with him like we would our own parents.  God is in full control and he loves us and cares for us deeply.  Just as a human father likes to hear all that his children have been doing during the day, our heavenly father likes to hear all we do, all our hopes and joys, our fears and worries.  We remember that while on earth, Jesus prayed to his father. If he felt the need to pray, then how much more so should his followers?

While he was with us, Jesus taught us how to pray and promised that every prayer would receive an answer.  However, that answer might not be the answer that we want.  Like any good and wise parent, God doesn’t always give us what we ask for.  He gives us one of three answers; yes, no and wait, as he knows that now is not the right time for what we ask.  This should not, however, stop us when we pray and when we talk to God, person to person and open our hearts and lives to him, from listening for what he wants to say to us.  And sometimes when God speaks to us it is for something that we did not imagine he would concern us with.

So prayer is a means of communication between us and God.  But how should we pray?  What formula should we use in making our prayers?  If we remember that there are four main parts to prayer and that we must us them all, as an example the prayer that Jesus taught us, itself contains them all.  When I was confirmed, many moons ago, I was given a card, which of course I couldn’t find when I wanted this week, that had one word on it. ACTS.  Acts as in Acts of the Apostles, as guide word to forming prayer.  The word “acts” contains the parts in the correct order; that is adoration, confession, thanksgiving and supplication.

Adoration allows us to tell God how much we adore and love him and how much we want to serve him.  It also allows us to acknowledge God’s greatness, or worship and praise in prayer gives God something of the honour he deserves simply because he is who he is.  He’s the one who made us, who keeps the world going, who supplies our needs.  God is more than just great; he is holy, just, righteous, faithful, true – a God who stirs our admiration and wonder to be expressed in adoration, especially when we remember the way in which he reached out to rescue us in Jesus.  So let’s praise him!

Confession enables us to look at our own lives and compare them with that of Jesus.  We always come to God as people who need forgiveness.  We are in no position to bargain with him.  Yet we break all his laws and go on our own sweet way, asserting our independence of him.  We, however, are lucky; it is only because he is merciful and gracious that we dare approach him.  We know he is merciful because of what Jesus did for us on the cross.  That is why we come in Jesus’ name – that is on the basis of who he is and what he has done for us.  We should thank God that when we confess our sins and wrongdoings, he has promised to forgive them for Jesus’ sake.

Thirdly in our guide word is the letter T, T for thanksgiving.  It gives us the opportunity to stop bringing to God endless strings of requests and allows us to stop and thank him.  Thank him for all the things he has done for us and has given us, which is everything that is good and worthwhile in our lives.  We are so ungrateful that we take many of the wonderful things he provides for us for granted and even complain when things don’t work out as we wanted them to.  Rather than come into his presence complaining, let’s come to him with heartfelt thanksgiving.

Last in the list is supplication, asking.  We should, when asking for things in prayer, first ask for other people, this is what we normally know as intercession.  As we become aware of the needs of other people we should bring their needs before God.  A God who sees and knows and loves everyone.  And it is because he is God we can ask for people on the other side of the world; because he is great we can ask for people who others may have written off.  When we pray for those who are involved in God’s work, it is as though we are there, working alongside them.  They feel the power of prayer when we don’t.  Finally when we pray we should bring our own needs to God, this we know as petition.  We should bring our own needs to God because God is interested in us. Not just in our major crises and troubles, though these are the things that we most readily bring to him, but also our everyday lives.  We can bring anything and everything about our spiritual, physical and material needs to him, though we may not get the answer we expect.  In this way we begin to let God into each and every aspect of our lives, which after all is what Christian living is all about.

When used in a right way prayer can have powerful results.  If we look to the first book of Kings, we read of Elijah and the prophets of Baal.  Here we see prayer being misused by the prophets of Baal, they were praying to the wrong god in the wrong way.  Elijah pointed out to them that they saw their god as a man, and so they thought he would do just as they wanted him to if they just twisted his arm.  Now that is a pagan idea, but even today too many people believe that is the way to do it.  They go to God when they want something, even though they have little idea of who God is, and they put their demands in.  And further more they are most hurt when they don’t get an answer and then jump to the conclusion that either prayer doesn’t work or that God doesn’t exist.  Elijah, however, knew the God he prayed to and knew what God was capable of doing.  His pray was simple, direct and trusting, and God answered in a dramatic way.  The God of the bible and of our lives is a God who does things, he is not a God who is just a name or an idea or a shadowy figure somewhere up there. He is a living, active God who hears the prayers of his people.

The power of prayer can be seen in everyday life today and the results can be just as dramatic.  For instance there was one Ivan Vasilievich Moiseyev, who was a young Christian serving in what was then the Soviet army.  One day he was talking to some fellow conscripts about the difference between his God and theirs – the state.  Ivan told them that his God was almighty and all-powerful.  Then Prokhorov, a sergeant, spoke, “If your God is so all-powerful and can do anything……prove it.  Let him get me leave tomorrow to go home!  Then I’ll believe in him!”  The other soldiers were excited and backed up Prokhorov’s challenge.  Ivan prayed, doubtful that this could be from God, but then suddenly he thought of Elijah and the prophets of Baal.  He became convinced that the Lord would prove his power in this case too.  The next day Prokhorov was granted immediate leave.  He and several others of those who had been present became believers.

Though it is essential to set aside a certain amount of time each day for prayer, prayer should not just be confined to that set period of the day.  You can pray at any time.  It is worth remembering, as Jesus knew, that the lines are always open and you can talk to God at any time of the day or night!