WHAT IS PRAYER?
Prayer is man’s act of communication with God. The very concept of prayer is marvellous because the ostensibly physical man makes a connection with the spiritual God who cannot be seen. At the heart of understanding the concept of prayer is to recognize that man is a tripartite being with his physical aspect on the outside, the soul on the inside and the spirit at his very core. This Biblical concept helps us to recognize man as a physical being who uses his senses to connect with the physical world, his soul (which consists of his mind emotions and will) that is used to connect with himself and the spirit that helps him connect with God. Deep speaks to deep, the spirit alone searches the deep things of God and it is in the spirit alone that true prayer can originate making a connection between man and God. The Holy Spirit who takes residence within man at conversion helps man in this process by interceding with words that man cannot express. True prayer, in the spirit, is a great miracle wherein a willing man, a receptive God and an interceding Spirit coalesce to produce nothing short of the song of heaven.
There are noticeable differences in the way different people pray. In all probability, the differences are attributable to the levels of transformation achieved by a Christian. A young Christian who has just begun the walk with God is still a sensual person, in the sense that he is predominantly still ruled by his physical senses. Such a person requires the active involvement of his senses to communicate with God. He finds it easier to pray aloud than silently and he finds great solace in a visual reminders of God- be it a cross or other images which remind him of God and encourage him greatly. Listening to other people pray or being led by others into worship is a great necessity for him.
There are others who either due to their temperament or because of limited transformation into the image of God find themselves to be predominantly in the realm of the soul. Such Christians operate in the realm of the soul. Such Christians find prayer to be primarily an operation in the soul, where they use their minds to speak to God, where they feel the closeness of God and are greatly encouraged by the emotions involved in the relationship as they communicate with God.
The third stage of transformation is where the Christian is led into the spiritual realm. This is a stage where his sensual faculties have been subdued and his soul no longer is the predominant player. A spiritual Christian’s senses and soul are subdued but functional under the direction of his spirit which in turn is united with the Holy Spirit resident within. This is the ultimate basis for all transformation and union with God. Such a state does not diminish his body and his soul, rather raises them to the highest possible level. Such a Christian prays differently as well. When he sits in the presence of God, he does not feel like speaking much or even using his mind or other components of his soul. He waits quietly in silence in the presence of God, resting in his goodness. Formal prayer time while important is no longer a mandatory exercise to be done at routine times and for prescribed periods. The Lord leads him to pray as appropriate, sometimes for hours and at other times very briefly. In fact for a spiritual Christian, God so infiltrates his daily walk that he prays constantly. Every thought directed to him, every doubt raised, every response to God’s urges within is prayer. And when transformation is complete and union is perfect, every breath of man is a prayer.
It is important to recognize that the ultimate goal of prayer is not to change the mind or will of God to coalesce with that of man but rather for man to tune in to God and be transformed into his likeness and to know his will. Consequently, it is not difficult to recognize that when transformation progresses and union reaches its fullness, prayer becomes more constant and less formal, more silent and less laboured and more of God’s tune than man’s voice.
