Prayer Is Simply Talking to God

On the subject of prayer, my observations so far are that most believers, both young and old, have a misconstrued notion about prayer. Some think that prayer should be left only to those assigned as intercessors or pastors, ministers, elders and deacons. Surprisingly, a good number of those called in these positions are not comfortable with prayer either!

One of my character traits is that I am too observant. I have also been around married couples who when asked to pray will gesture to the other, asking their spouses to pray instead. Some even comment, “Oh, my wife prays better” or “My wife is the prayer warrior.” The wife may in turn respond, “No, you are the pastor or elder, you should pray!” Generally, and this is strictly based on observations, males will be quiet and ladies will volunteer to pray. Often, there is overwhelming hesitation to pray, but be encouraged! Each of us, any one of us, can pray.

Some believers have convinced themselves that they do not know how to pray. I once asked a lady to pray at the end of training session and she responded adamantly, “No Pauline, I cannot shout loud enough.” I was grieved internally by that response. I recall my heart just sinking into a deep whimper. I was saddened that this sister equated prayer to shouting and that she thought her prayers were not good enough. It is from this experience, and also with the leading of the Holy Spirit, that I was inspired to write this book. My heart ached; I really wanted to help believers attain confidence and become comfortable with praying. I sought to demystify misconceptions, false beliefs, and religious practices associated to prayer. These areas are all discussed in this book.

We are living in times where prayer is essential and paramount to each believer. In these times, prayer is a necessity, and each believer should be confident in knowing that their prayers, regardless of how they are presented to God, are heard. This understanding also delivers the believer from co-dependence on spiritual leaders such as pastors, those called in the five-fold ministry, and even their prayer partners as their sole source of prayer. Whereas some have the gift of intercession or intercessory prayer, each believer can pray. The purpose of writing this book is to help those struggling with praying, to understand what prayer means, and to get comfortable with this subject and attain freedom, courage, and confidence to pray independently.