Faith | In good times or bad, prayer is a relationship with God

Any successful relationship requires consistent, open, honest and clear communication. It is never one-sided and always a two-way street, but does this kind of relationship apply to God?

My answer is yes. Prayer is our relationship with God and it’s as simple and as difficult as making the effort to talk and communicate with him daily.

He talks to us through many forms, including his Word, the Bible, and through a part of himself as the Holy Spirit, which dwells inside each of us as believers.

He wants the very best for us everyday and wants to hear every desire of our hearts. I usually don’t feel right bothering God about the little things.

But he would much rather we come to him daily in prayer — to include the little things — and to show him appreciation and thankfulness for being our loving, creator God.

In my experience, the Holy Spirit will let me know when I’ve done something good that is honoring and pleasing to him, or the exact opposite when I’ve done something that dishonors and displeases him.

And like any worthwhile relationship, God loves us enough to hold us accountable for our actions.

Prayer is not a “get out of jail free” card and it does not magically make pain, suffering or hard times go away, but what it allows us to do is relax in the knowledge that he hears us.

He will never ignore us and, in his perfect time and love for us, will always answer our prayers for our well-being, regardless if we see the outcome or happen to like the answer — or not.

Sometimes God will use our suffering — and or persecution — for his glory and our welfare, and for us to be a more effective witness to others.

Often people seem to be more open to listening to a person who is giving the good news of Jesus Christ with a cheerful attitude, even though they may be in the depths of what seems like human despair.

I believe that we are what we think and what we allow our minds to focus on. Our prayer life will give insight into who we really are and where our priorities truly lie.

Our prayers and our relationship with God should guide us to become more like Christ in our daily lives. The purpose of prayer is to have the mindset that we think, say, and do everything in our lives to honor and glorify him.

In good times and bad times, the purpose of prayer is to keep our relationship with God forefront in our minds. In our everyday lives we can trust and rely on his timing and his direction, even when that’s difficult or impossible to see.

I believe that it’s biblical that God loves to answer prayers that ask him to give us the desire to be the person he wants us to be.

As Christians, we know that our future in God’s heavenly kingdom is secure, and that all things will ultimately work together for our good. He will never give us more than what we can handle, and praying without ceasing is the only way that relationship thrives.

That is the purpose of prayer.