Prayer! The most important untaught word of God. An Introduction.

Prayer has always been one of the great mysteries of God. Ask twenty believers how prayer “works”, and you may receive twenty different answers. Some answers will be rooted deeply in Scripture, while others may be shaped more by personal experience or denominational tradition. Yet despite those differences, most believers agree on one truth: prayer matters because through prayer something changes. The real question is not necessarily whether prayer “works”, but rather how we understand its biblical foundation, purpose and how we measure its effectiveness.

Throughout Scripture, prayer is consistently presented as more than a religious activity. It is relationship, worship, surrender, discernment, dependence, and participation in the will of God. When these subjects are disconnected, prayer can become confusing, self-centered, or emotionally driven. However, when these principles become congruent with one another, prayer becomes spiritually balanced and transformational.

The foundation of all prayer is relationship with God. Throughout the Old Testament we see men and women approaching God personally and sincerely. Hannah prayed from deep sorrow and longing for a child. David prayed through worship, repentance, thanksgiving, and lament throughout the Psalms. Daniel prayed with understanding of God’s promises and purposes. Solomon prayed for God to dwell among His people, while Nehemiah and Israel prayed in humility and worship. In the New Testament, when the disciples asked Jesus how we should pray, He began with the words, “Our Father who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name.” This opening statement establishes an important principle: prayer is first acknowledging God exist and is present. However, prayer is not merely presenting requests. Prayer is communication and communion with the Father.

Jesus continued teaching His disciples to pray by saying, “Thy Kingdom come, Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven.” Jesus himself prayed in the Garden before his crucifixion “if anyway possible please take this cup from me.” The he uttered “not my will but yours be done.” This reveals that prayer is not designed primarily to convince God to follow our plans. Rather, prayer is intended to align us with His Kingdom and His purposes. True prayer therefore begins with worship and surrender. The Hebrew word avodah, often translated as “work,” it also carries the meanings of worship and service. This connection reveals that prayer becomes congruent when worship humbles the heart, surrender removes pride, reverence honors God’s authority, and obedience and servanthood becomes more important than personal preference or desires. Without surrender, prayer can easily become centered on our own will rather than God’s.

Many people question the power and work of prayer, but defining “works” from a Biblical perspective requires deeper thought. In human terms, work usually means effort that produces a desired result. Prayer, however, does not function through human power or ability. All things we ask of God can only come through His authority and His will. Therefore, prayer should not be measured only by whether circumstances have changed according to our expectations. Difficult questions naturally arise from this type of statement. Are unanswered prayers always failures? Did God answer differently than we expected? Were we praying from our own desires instead of His will? Can prayer reshape our perspective before changing our situation? These questions remind us that effective prayer is not measured simply by obtaining desired outcomes. Sometimes prayer changes situations, while at other times prayer changes people, our understanding, or alters our faith in some way. When I reference “sometimes changes people” That is a difficult theological statement some people wrestle with. There are those that say it always changes people. However, unless prayer produces conviction of sin or injustice within the person followed by repentance, sustainable change is highly unlikely. Effective prayer is measured primarily by whether we are being brought into greater alignment with His will and a deeper relationship of God’s purpose for our life.

To more properly discern God’s will, prayer that exist independently from fasting and meditation has constraints. So, when applied, these three disciplines form a stronger, more congruent spiritual process. Fasting clears the heart and mind from distractions, pride, emotional impulses, and self-will. Prayer petitions God seeking His direction, and places life's situations before Him. Meditation creates stillness before God so we may receive wisdom, discernment, conviction, and understanding. Together they create a spiritual alignment that strengthens our relationship with prayer. Fasting prepares the heart; prayer seeks the Father, and meditation helps clarify His guidance. This process allows believers to distinguish between our personal desire and focus on God’s intentions. Jesus Himself demonstrated this pattern repeatedly in scripture. He sought out solitude, prayer, fasting, and submission to the Father. Jesus stated, “The Son can do nothing of himself, but what he seeth the Father do”. We should strive for this in our lives just as Jesus instructs us by his word and example.

Prayer also acknowledges that true spiritual fruit can never be produced by human strength alone. James 5:16 declares, “The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much.” The effectiveness of prayer is not found in emotional intensity alone, but through repentance and obedience aligned with God’s will and dependence upon His power. Again, Jesus demonstrated this perfectly when He stated in John 5:19, “The Son can do nothing of himself, but what he seeth the Father do". Everywhere Jesus went there was movement. People were healed, lives were transformed, faith increased, hope was restored, and God was glorified. Jesus did not move independently of the Father’s will. His ministry flowed from complete dependence upon the Father. Likewise, prayer becomes effective when believers seek not merely activity, but movement that is only directed by God.

Prayer must also remain connected to wise counsel and wrestling with Scripture searching out truth. I often say they are three truths. A truth, my truth, and the truth. The truth which is Gods truth is the only one that produces good fruit. We as believers are vulnerable to deception when prayer becomes isolated from Biblical truth, spiritual accountability, mature counsel through Godly wisdom. Scripture consistently teaches the value of wise counsel because human understanding is limited. Prayer therefore remains congruent with less constraints when believers are teachable, humble, and willing to seek confirmation and correction. Everyone wants confirmation, but correction is not often authentically sought out. However, wise counsel or correction always protects us from irrational or emotional reasoning, personal bias, spiritual pride, and misinterpretation. Prayer, Scripture, meditation, fasting, and wise counsel should continually reinforce one another.

When all these principles are brought together, the true purpose and work of prayer become clearer. Prayer is not primarily about persuading God to fulfill our desires. Prayer is about knowing God, worshipping Him, surrendering to His will, receiving His direction, depending upon His power, walking in obedience, and ultimately bringing Him glory. When relationship, surrender, fasting, meditation, obedience, Faith, worship, and wise counsel all work together, prayer becomes spiritually balanced and biblically grounded. It becomes the most powerful force we have at our disposal. We are to pray continuously. That is how important scripture references prayer. Prayer then becomes more than asking. It becomes a continuous seeking and participation in the will, power and movement of God on earth.

As believers and leaders, we must become intentional in how we pray. We should fast clear our hearts and minds, pray for God’s will instead of always seeking desired outcomes, meditate upon His response, seek wise counsel, and move forward in obedience. This creates the spiritual clarity and power necessary for both individuals and ministries to walk faithfully in the direction God intends.

God has uniquely positioned His people in every generation for His purposes, and such moments or movement cannot be recreated through human effort alone. Therefore, we must remain committed to prayer that is rooted in relationship with Him, grounded in Scripture, guided by surrender, strengthened through fasting, clarified by meditation, confirmed through wise counsel, and empowered by the Holy Spirit. When prayer becomes congruent in this way, faith increases, individuals and ministries are matured, lives are transformed, and God alone receives the glory.

Dr. Terry Norris

Executive Director,

Emerge Ministries