True Essence of Prayer

It seems lately that so many people I love, know, and don’t know are all dealing with, what my minister often calls, “the vicissitudes of life.”

Vicissitude is defined as “a favorable or unfavorable event or situation that occurs by chance : a fluctuation of state or condition <thevicissitudes of daily life>” http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/vicissitude

We are often given the directive to “pray” or “ask for prayer”, especially in times of sickness or unexpected events..

We “Bless Our Food” before meals out of habit. We quote "The Lord’s Prayer,” and “The Serenity Prayer” out of memory. We can quote the 23^rd Psalm because we memorized it in Sunday School, as a child. Oftentimes, the same prayers are repeated over and over again during the Order of Worship on Sunday out of habit and familiarity.

It made me reflect more deeply about prayer, what it is and what it does.

Prayer is defined “(as a petition) to God...in word or thought; a set order of words used in praying; an earnest request or wish;  

(Concise Encyclopedia) explains prayer as:  Silent or spoken petition made to God... Prayer has been practiced in all religions throughout history. Its characteristic postures (bowing the head, kneeling, prostration) and position of the hands (raised, outstretched, clasped) signify an attitude of submission and devotion. Prayer may involve confessions of sin, requests, thanks, praise, offerings of sacrifice, or promises of future acts of devotion. In addition to spontaneous private prayer, most religions have fixed formulas of prayer (e.g., the Lord's Prayer), often recited in group worship. http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/prayer

Often, during worship, I have grown up hearing this scripture in regards to prayer:

James 5:16 (NKJV) says: “Confess your trespasses to one another, and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much.”

I always wondered what the difference is in "just praying" and praying an “effective, fervent prayer.”

Effective is defined as “producing a result that is wanted; starting at a particular time; producing a decided, decisive, or desired effect; impressive, striking; ready for service or action; actual; “  http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/effective

Fervent is defined as “felt very strongly; having or showing very strong feelings; very hot; glowing; exhibiting or marked by great intensity of feeling; zealous” http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/fervent

Therefore, we are to pray with the intent of “producing a decided, decisive, or desired effect, that is ”zealous, felt very strongly and marked by great intensity of feeling.”

Another one is:

1 Thessalonians 5:17 (NKJV): “Pray without ceasing,”

Cease is defined as “to stop happening; to end; to stop doing (something); to cause to come to an end especially gradually; no longer continue." The opposite or antonyms are "continue, hang on, persist”  http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/cease

Basically, this is saying to pray WITHOUT stopping or ending. We are to continue, hang on, & persist.

Oftentimes, we are guilty of just saying “I’ll pray for you” or “please pray for me.” This is not something we should say or do casually.

Let’s make a very conscious decision to be very focused, intense, heart-felt, consistent, and sincere about PRAYER. It is our own personal, continuous conversation with GOD…