January 15th, 2025:

Two days ago, Holy Spirit began speaking into my heart about prayer. Usually I stop everything to take notes, but I was “too busy”. Yesterday I found I couldn’t remember what Holy Spirit had said. I knew it was about prayer, but I couldn’t remember the specifics. I repented for not taking seriously what He said. I talked to my husband about what had happened and as I shared the details, it all came flooding back. This time I wrote it down. This evening at Bible Study we studied about (you guessed it) prayer.

So with that, I will share what Holy Spirit revealed to me:

First, He lead me to the Noah Webster 1828 Dictionary and had me look up the definition of Prayer.

Prayer: 1) In a general sense, the act of asking for a favor, and particularly with earnestness. 2) IN WORSHIP, A SOLEMN ADDRESS TO THE SUPREME BEING, CONSISTING OF ADORATION, OR AN EXPRESSSION OF OUR SENSE OF GOD’S GLORIOUS PERFECTIONS, CONFESSION OF OUR SINS, SUPPLICATION (REQUEST) FOR MERCY AND FORGIVENESS, INTERCESSION FOR BLESSING ON OTHERS, AND THANKSGIVING, OR AN EXPRESSION OF GRATITUDE TO GOD FOR HIS MERCIES AND BENFITS. A PRAYER MAY CONSIST OF A SINGLE PETITION, AND MAY BE EXTEMPORANEOUS (SUDDEN), WRITTEN OR PRINTED. 3) A formula of church service, or of worship, public or private. 4) Practice of supplication (request). 5)That part of a memorial or petition to a public body, which specifies the request or thing desired to be done or granted, as distinct from the recital of facts or reasons for the grant. We say, the prayer of the petition is that the petitioner may be discharged from arrest.

The following scriptures are from NKJV:

It is number two (the second definition) that interests me. It talks about Prayer as worship, being in God’s presence, receiving His Love and leaving with our “vessels” full to impart His Love to others. Matthew 22:34-40; Mark 12:28-34.

Matthew 6:5-13 Shows what Jesus had to say about the misuse/abuse of prayer and gave an outline of what prayer should be. Luke 11:1-13. Look at the second definition again. The first, third, fourth and fifth definition is what we have reduced prayer to.

Prayer is also conversational. It is a dialog, not a monolog. It is relational.

The Lord spoke this to my heart: “My people talk to me like someone who is hard of hearing talking on the phone. They tell me what they want me to know, then after they are done they hang up.” My husband refers to it as giving Jesus a to-do list. The Lord went on to say, “Conversation goes two ways: you talk a little and I listen. I talk a little and you listen.”

James 1:19-25, admonishes us to be quick to listen and slow to speak. This especially applies to the Lord.

There are many examples in the Old Testament of these anointed conversations with the Lord, but I encourage you to read about Noah’s, Abraham’s, Moses’ and David’s conversations with the Lord.

Jesus says he does nothing on his own John 5:19, 30;8:28-30. He was constantly going to a quiet place to be with God. He prayed, listened and obeyed. Read the book of Acts to see that the Apostles were constantly praying and listening and obeying what they heard.

It is in that place, in the presence of the Lord where we are transformed. It is that place where we come to know and are known (I do not ever want Jesus to say to me, “Sorry, I never knew you. “Matthew 7:21-23; 1 Corinthians 13:1-12). It is the restored privilege of being able to walk with God in the “cool of the evening” like Adam and Eve did before the “Fall”. I can just imagine walking and talking to God about any and everything that came to mind. Just as our children did when they were small. I can imagine, God speaking lovingly and patiently as He answered every question.

I remembered telling my children that they could talk to me about anything as long as they remembered who they were talking to. Do we remember that when we are talking to God?

Prayer is a place where we put people, places, situations and things in their proper place, beneath God.