4. Prayer
Prayer is a foundational practice in the Christian faith. It is the way we communicate with God, express
our love for Him, seek His guidance, and find strength. For new believers, understanding the importance
of prayer and fasting is crucial for spiritual growth and developing a deeper relationship with God. This
Bible study will explore the significance of prayer, how to approach God in prayer, and the role of fasting
in a believer’s life.
What Is Prayer?
Prayer is simply talking to God. It’s a dialogue in which we express our thoughts, desires, gratitude, and needs to God. Prayer is not limited to formal times but should be a continuous part of our relationship with God. Through prayer, we acknowledge God’s sovereignty, express our dependence on Him, and align our hearts with His will.
The Importance of Prayer in the Christian Life
Means of Communication with God
Prayer is how we communicate with God, just as we communicate with friends and family. Through prayer, we express our feelings, desires, and concerns. God listens to our hearts and speaks to us through His Word and the Holy Spirit. Prayer strengthens our relationship with God, allowing us to grow in our understanding of His character and will.
📖 Key Scripture
“And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the Lord’s people.” (Eph 6:18)
🔍 Reflection
Read and reflect on the key Scripture.. How does knowing that God desires to communicate with you through prayer change the way you view it?
A Way to Seek God’s Guidance and Will
When we pray, we invite God to guide us in our decisions and circumstances. Prayer is how we align our hearts with God’s purposes and seek His wisdom. As we pray, God leads us in His truth and directs our paths.
📖 Key Scripture
“If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all liberally and without reproach, and it will be given to him.” (Jam 1:5)
🔍 Reflection
Read and reflect on the key Scripture. Is there an area in your life where you need God’s guidance? Spend some time praying and asking for His wisdom and direction.
Prayer does not change God, but it changes him who prays. – Soren Kierkegaard.
How to Approach God in Prayer
Pray with Reverence and Respect
When we approach God in prayer, we should do so with reverence, acknowledging His holiness and sovereignty. God is our Father, but He is also the Creator of the universe, and He deserves our utmost respect.
📖 Key Scripture
“Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name.” (Matt 6:9)
🔍 Reflection
Read and reflect on the key Scripture. How can you show respect and reverence for God when you pray? What does honoring God look like in your conversations with Him?
Pray with Confidence and Boldness:
We can approach God with confidence because He invites us to do so. Jesus’ sacrifice opened the way for us to come boldly before God’s throne and ask for what we need. God is a loving Father who delights in answering the prayers of His children.
📖 Key Scripture
“Let us then approach God’s throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.” (Heb 4:16)
🔍 Reflection
Read and reflect on the key Scripture. In what areas of your life do you need to pray with more confidence, knowing that God hears you and wants to help you?
Pray in Jesus’ Name
As believers, we pray in the name of Jesus, acknowledging His authority and recognizing that through Him we have access to the Father. Jesus is the mediator between God and humanity, and He invites us to pray in His name.
📖 Key Scripture
“And I will do whatever you ask in my name, so that the Father may be glorified in the Son.” (John 14:13)
🔍 Reflection
Read and reflect on the key Scripture. How can you keep the focus of your prayers on Jesus and His work on your behalf
To be a Christian without prayer is no more possible than to be alive without breathing. – Martin Luther
Attitudes of Prayer
Prayer is the essence of how we communicate to God. It is such a vast subject that it is next to impossible to cover everything. In an article by Jim Carpenter, “Talking with our Father” published in the Discipleship Journal (Issue 37) four key aspects of prayer are detailed. These are:
- Intimacy – Jesus addressed God as “Abba, Father” in prayer. “Abba” is an Aramaic term for daddy, or papa. We too can cry to God as “Abba, Father”, in an intimacy only a Child of God can. (Rom 8:15)
- Faith – Without faith it is impossible to please God. Jesus wants us to come to prayer with the faith that God hears us and that he wants to grant us our petitions and requests.
- Boldness – God wants us to approach his throne with boldness, and confidence.
- Submission – As Jesus said “Not my will, but your will be done” he yielded to the will of God. When we approach God in prayer, we should be willing to yield ourselves in absolute submission to his will.
📖 Key Scripture
“Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.” (1 Thes 5:16-18)
🔍 Reflection
Read and reflect on the key Scripture. How can you make prayer a consistent part of your daily life? What are some specific things you are thankful for that you can bring to God in prayer?
Is prayer your steering wheel or your spare tire. – Corrie ten Boom
How to Pray
There is no specific way to pray, but here are a few tips:
- Keep prayers simple
- Pray from the heart and trust the Holy Spirit
- Use the Lord’s Prayer as your guide – see the chart below
- Don’t forget to be thankful
- Pray with faith and expectation that God will hear you and respond
Prayer and Fasting
Fasting is often paired with prayer in Scripture and is a powerful discipline for growing closer to God. Fasting involves abstaining from food or other distractions for a period of time to focus on seeking God’s will, strength, and guidance. In Isaiah 58, we find one of the most powerful passages about how God views fasting:
“Is not this the kind of fasting I have chosen: to loose the chains of injustice and untie the cords of the yoke, to set the oppressed free and break every yoke? Is it not to share your food with the hungry and to provide the poor wanderer with shelter—when you see the naked, to clothe them,
and not to turn away from your own flesh and blood? Then your light will break forth like the dawn, and your healing will quickly appear; then your righteousness will go before you, and the glory of the LORD will be your rear guard. Then you will call, and the LORD will answer; you will cry for help, and he will say: Here am I.” (Isaiah 58:6-9)
Fasting for Spiritual Growth and Strength
Fasting is a way to humble ourselves before God, seek His guidance, and grow spiritually. It allows us to focus our attention on God rather than on physical needs or desires. When we fast, we acknowledge our dependence on God for everything.
📖 Key Scripture
“Then Jesus was led by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. After fasting forty days and forty nights, he was hungry. The tempter came to him and said, ‘If you are the Son of God, tell these stones to become bread.’” (Matt 4:1-3)
🔍 Reflection
Read and reflect on the key Scripture. How might fasting help you grow in spiritual strength and dependence on God?
Fasting as a Way to Seek God’s Will:
In times of seeking God’s direction, fasting helps us tune our hearts to hear from Him. When we set aside time to fast, we are saying, “God, I desire Your will above all else.” Fasting creates space to hear His voice more clearly.
📖 Key Scripture
So we fasted and petitioned our God about this, and he answered our prayer.” (Ezra 8:23)
🔍 Reflection
Read and reflect on the key Scripture. Is there an area of your life where you need to seek God’s will? How might fasting help you in that decision-making process?
Fasting as a Way to Seek God’s Will:
In times of seeking God’s direction, fasting helps us tune our hearts to hear from Him. When we set aside time to fast, we are saying, “God, I desire Your will above all else.” Fasting creates space to hear His voice more clearly.
📖 Key Scripture
So we fasted and petitioned our God about this, and he answered our prayer.” (Ezra 8:23)
🔍 Reflection
Read and reflect on the key Scripture. Is there an area of your life where you need to seek God’s will? How might fasting help you in that decision-making process?
Fasting as a Way of Seeking God’s Intervention:
At times, we may choose to fast and pray for God’s intervention in specific situations, such as healing, salvation, protection, or direction. Fasting does not earn God’s favor or compel a particular outcome, but it expresses humility, urgency, and wholehearted dependence on Him as we seek His will. Throughout Scripture, fasting is repeatedly joined with prayer in moments when God’s people earnestly seek His mercy, power, and guidance.
📖 Key Scriptures
“So we fasted and petitioned our God about this, and he answered our prayer.” (Ezra 8:23)
“So I turned to the Lord God and pleaded with him in prayer and petition, in fasting, and in sackcloth and ashes.” (Dan 9:3)
🔍 Reflection
Read and reflect on the key Scripture. Are there situations in your life where you are urgently seeking God’s intervention in your life or the life of someone around you. Have you consider combining prayer and fasting for the situation?
Fasting is a means of refining our faith and focusing our minds on God. It is not meant to make us suffer, but to help us grow spiritually. The more we practice prayer and fasting, the more we become aware of the desires of our hearts and the needs of those around us. It helps us be more in tune with God’s will and His timing. – John Wesley
Conclusion
Prayer and fasting are essential tools for a believer’s spiritual growth and deepening relationship with God. Prayer is our means of communication with God, and through it, we seek His guidance, grow in faith, and align our hearts with His will. Fasting is a way to intensify our prayers, focus on God, and seek His direction more earnestly.
As a Follower of Christ, developing a habit of prayer and fasting will help you draw nearer to God, understand His will for your life, and receive His strength and grace for the journey. May your life be marked by a growing intimacy with God through consistent, passionate prayer and occasional fasting.
In Dick Eastmans book “The Hour that Changes the World”, he offers a wonderful illustration of how anyone can spend an hour in prayer. Each slice of the pie represents 5 minutes. You would be surprised how easy it is to spend an hour in prayer.
My name is Michael Adkins. For several decades I’ve been studying Scripture, developing discipleship resources, and teaching others how to walk more closely with Christ. Currently, I serve as the Discipleship Pathway Leader at Riverside International Church in Cascais, Portugal, where my passion is helping believers grow into mature disciples who live out their faith in everyday life.