#1368. What is prayer? (20/10/25)
- Matt Beaney
- Oct 20
- 3 min read
Welcome to this Come to Jesus Daily Devotional. This week, through this week of prayer, we’re taking a short break from Ephesians to think about The Power of Prayer.
What is prayer? To answer this we must reflect on the purpose for which God created mankind.
You can listen to this devotional below
‘At that time people began to call on the name of the Lord.’ (Genesis 4:26)
How would you define prayer? Our answers might vary widely, depending on our experiences and upbringing. Perhaps you were told to “say your prayers” before bed; perhaps your school recited the Lord’s Prayer; perhaps your family had long and (to a child) interminable prayer times; perhaps your church had a particular style or form of prayer. All of these shape how we imagine prayer - but what is prayer, really?
To answer that, we need to go back to the beginning - to Genesis, and the creation of humankind - where we see the first picture of unbroken relationship with God. In Eden, humanity lived in open fellowship with its Creator, marked by:
1. Purpose - Working and caring for God’s creation
‘The Lord God took the man and put him in the Garden of Eden to work it and take care of it.’ (Genesis 3:15)
2. Obedience - Listening to and obeying the voice of God
‘And the Lord God commanded the man, “You are free to eat from any tree in the garden; but you must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for when you eat from it you will certainly die.”’ (Genesis 3:16-17)
3. Seeking Intimacy - Walking with God and enjoying His presence
‘Then the man and his wife heard the sound of the Lord God as he was walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and they hid from the Lord God among the trees of the garden.’ (Genesis 4:8-9)
4. Response - Responding to God’s desire for intimacy
‘But the Lord God called to the man, “Where are you?”’ (Genesis 4:9)
5. Dependence - Calling on Him Him for help
‘At that time people began to call on the name of the Lord.’ (Genesis 4:26)
The word ‘call’ - qara in Hebrew - means ‘to cry out for help.’ What a beautiful picture of prayer! After the rebellion in Eden, when humanity turned from God to follow Satan’s lies, we now see people beginning to “cry out for help.”
In other words, prayer is the first sign of returning to God.
A Definition of Prayer
I would define prayer as:
Prayer is a living relationship with God — speaking to, listening to, and experiencing Him in the Spirit.
Tim Keller put it this way:
‘We can define prayer as a personal, communicative response to the knowledge of God.’ (Keller, Timothy. Prayer: Experiencing Awe and Intimacy with God)
Prayer lies at the heart of what it means to be a Christian — and even more deeply, what it means to be truly human. Humanity was created to live in relationship with God; sin broke that relationship, but in Christ it is being restored. Jesus is restoring in us what was lost in Eden — and prayer is central to that restoration.
If sin caused humanity to hide from God, can we truly claim to know Him if we continue to hide, even after being saved? True life in Christ leads to true prayer. As J. C. Ryle wrote:
‘A habit of prayer is one of the surest marks of a true Christian." All the children of God on earth are alike in this respect. From the moment there is any life and reality in their religion, they pray. Just as the first sign of life in an infant when born into the world, is the act of breathing, so the first act of men and women when they are born again, is praying.’ (J. C. Ryle)
Response
So, what is prayer? Prayer is a living relationship with God — speaking to, listening to, and experiencing Him in the Spirit.
Do we pray? Do we love God enough to want to be with Him, to speak with Him, and to listen for His voice?
Today, let’s remember: Jesus died to restore us to the Father, and that restored relationship is lived out in prayer.
Focus of prayer for today
This week, at CCP, is a week of prayer, today, our focus for prayer is:
On this Monday, let’s reflect and pray about our walking with God. Let’s seek God for a closer and more intimate walk with Him.
Pray for those who have wandered from faith and the truth. As we read of Adam and Eve’s turning from and hiding from God, pray for them to respond to God’s desire that they come back to Him.
Seek God for revival - the Spirit to bring many to faith.
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