What is prayer?
Question
What is prayer?
Answer
Prayer is communication and communion with God. In some ways it resembles an e-mail – as you are communicating with words. It is telling God both your feelings, desires, sins, and then also reminding Him of His promises to us as His children. Of course, prayer can use more than just mere words to communicate. At times joy, laughter, and at other times even tears communicate. God understands our entire person – with all its emotions, expressions, and feelings. So, prayer can use several sources of medium to communicate “with” God. However, communication, is only one main aspect of prayer.
Prayer is much more personal than any e-mail – as it is a real relationship (communion) with God himself. There should be an intimacy in prayer where you can just be real with God. Though we in one respect should honor and respect God (Our Father …) there is another side of God we need to connect with also (Daddy, Daddy … Abba, Abba).
Someone once asked me if prayer was like sex with God? I was kind of surprised by the question [and abhor any ‘literal’ image this may create in one’s mind], but after some thought - I could see their point that intimacy with God should be so close, so familiar, so real, so revealing, that one may – in the proper manner – use this as a careful illustration of true prayer – as God is VERY intimate. The church is after all the bride of Christ (Eph. 5:22 ff) and God foreknew (Rom. 8:29 - GK: proginokso) His elect (Adam ginosoko Eve and she bore a child – Gen. 4:1).I would probably feel more comfortable using the term “wrestle” (Gen. 32:24-32) than “sex” though to describe the intimacy with God – though BOTH terms help us understand what communion is about to some extent. [NOTE: any illustration may be taken too far - even those in Scripture - so please DO NOT take these any further than they are meant. In regards to the matter at hand, we should think of God as being intimate, but not having ‘literal’ sexual intercourse with another.].
Answer by: Joseph R. Nally, Theological Editor, on behalf of the staff at IIIM. The opinions expressed by the author are not necessarily the “official position” of Third Millennial Ministries.