Conversation With God: The Power Of Prevailing PrayerSample

Prayer is Interaction with God

How do you feel about communicating with God? More importantly, how are you communicating with God? The psalmist said it this way: “As the deer pants for streams of water, so my soul pants for you, my God” (Psalm 42:1).

How we approach God is very important. Some people scream, acting as if God is unable to hear them unless they shout loudly. Other people pray very, very quietly. Some people pray for a long time and some people pray a short prayer. We should ask ourselves When I pray, am I only using words, or am I communicating with God? And is God able to communicate with me? Do I listen as much as I speak? If prayer is conversation, listening is just as important, if not more important, than speaking.

In Luke 18:9–14, Jesus tells a parable about communicating with God. While the Pharisee made a show of his prayers for all to see, the tax collector was humble and asked God for mercy. The tax collector understood prayer wasn’t the end, it was only the beginning of a conversation with God. Through the example of these two men we are challenged not to use prayer as an outward show of our good deeds but as the springboard to deeper relationship with God.

We must approach God with an attitude of sincerity. Prayer is not merely asking God for all we need or want. It is interaction with the Creator of the universe. It is an essential way in which God transforms us into his likeness. Our hearts must be broken when we approach the living God. Without humility and brokenness, we will be like the Pharisee who prayed, “God, I thank you that I am not like other people” (Luke 18:11). When we come to him humbly, God’s heart will be very open to us, and in prayer we can encounter God anew.