Prayer is not complicated, nor is it reserved for the spiritually elite. It is not a secret ritual or a lofty exercise—it is the very breath of our faith, the lifeline by which we draw near to God. Just as we cannot live without oxygen, we cannot thrive in Christ without prayer.

“Prayer is the best weapon we have; it is the key to God's heart. You must speak to Jesus not only with your lips, but with your heart. In fact, on certain occasions you should only speak to Him with your heart.” Pio of Pietrelcina

“Prayer breaks all bars, dissolves all chains, opens all prisons, and widens all straits by which God's saints have been held.” E. M. Bounds

God is not locked in a spiritual tug-of-war. The victory has already been won through Christ! Scripture assures us that Jesus has triumphed over every power and authority. So why, then, must we still pay attention to spiritual warfare?

We listen so we know how to pray. In this way, we take a person for whom we have great concern, and we lay them at the feet of Jesus asking Him how we should pray. When we hear and pray accordingly, we are literally joining Jesus in praying for that person

“The one concern of the devil is to keep Christians from praying. He fears nothing from prayerless studies, prayerless work, and prayerless religion. He laughs at our toil, mocks at our wisdom, but trembles when we pray.”  Samuel Chadwick

You may think that worship is only done with singing and music. This week’s readings will provide scripture that will help you worship even without music. Worship can even become the whole prayer experience. It helps us put things at the feet of Jesus that otherwise weigh on us – it is there that we know, He can do great things.

Very early in the morning, while it was still dark, Jesus got up, left the house and went off to a solitary place, where he prayed. Mark 1.35