How Does Prayer Change Us?
This article is by Glory Dy and published by Christianity.com
Prayer is the power tool for Christians to communicate with the Lord. It is our way of realizing that we have needs and the only provider of our needs is the Father in Heaven. The Bible tells us that He will never leave us, as it is written in Scripture,
The LORD Himself goes before you and will be with you; He will never leave you nor forsake you. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged” (Deuteronomy 31:8).
And we can lay our worries to Him because He promised to take care of us, as is written, “Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you” (1 Peter 5:7).
As we pray, we can feel a change in our spiritual life. We are closer to God because we continuously communicate. Through prayer, we acknowledge that His love for us is infinite, and He will never leave us. Truly, there is power in prayer and it can change us in many ways. How does prayer change us?
Changes Us by Knowing God Better
Prayer changes us by making us closer to God and knowing Him better. The Holy Spirit guides us through prayer. The Bible tells us that Jesus assured us that after His resurrection, the Holy Spirit will be with us forever and that the Holy Spirit is all around us to give us wisdom in knowing God.
The Bible also tells us, “For I do not go away, the Counselor will not come to you. But if I go, I will send Him to you” (John 16:7).
It is written that through a very good relationship with God, through prayer, we are able to experience God’s omnipresence through the Holy Spirit. For this reason, we know God better because we experience Him in our daily lives.
But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To him be glory both now and forever! Amen (2 Peter 3:18).
It is also through knowing God that we are able to understand God’s nature. We know that he will never leave us and that He is the great provider, but only through prayer that we may experience knowing him more. And that God’s love for us shines brighter than anything else.
For the word of God is alive and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart (Hebrews 4:12).
Changes Us by Listening
Prayer also changes us by improving our attitude on listening to what God wants. Most of the time, we are always focused on presenting our request to God and praying constantly that our requests are answered.
Sometimes, we forget to listen to God and acknowledge that it is His will that should be followed. “Whoever gives heed to instruction prospers, and blessed is the one who trusts in the Lord.” (Proverbs 16:20).
Listening to God is not an easy task. It requires constant discipline, and we can only achieve training through continuous prayer and practicing His command.
Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me — put it into practice. And the God of peace will be with you (Philippians 4:9).
However, there will come a time when we are tempted to not follow His command or His will. That is why, we have to train our minds to avoid the noise of the world and instead, listen to God and God alone.
We can do this by continuously learning about God and communicating through prayer as we strengthen our faith in Him, as Scripture says, “But solid food belongs to those who are full of age, that is, those who by reason of use have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil” (Hebrews 5:14).
Changes Us through Patience
Prayer also changes our lives by patience. Because as we pray, we are required to be patient in listening to God’s will. As Jesus Christ said,
Truly I say to you, If you have faith, and doubt not, you shall not only do this which is done to the fig tree, but also if you shall say to this mountain, Be you removed, and be you cast into the sea; it shall be done (Matthew 21:21).
However, human as we are, we are sometimes impatient. We become tired of waiting for our prayers to be answered. Do not fret. The Bible tells us that:
Have you not known? Have you not heard, that the everlasting God, the LORD, the Creator of the ends of the earth, faints not, neither is weary? There is no searching of his understanding. He gives power to the faint; and to them that have no might he increases strength. Even the youths shall faint and be weary, and the young men shall utterly fall: But they that wait on the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint (Isaiah 40:28-31).
Continuous prayer can change us and make us patient. Our communication with God will tell us that He will answer our prayers according to His will.
Changes Us through Faith
Prayer changes us by nourishing our faith in God. As we communicate with God, we learn that He is truly our great provider and it is only through God that we can receive impossible breakthroughs in our lives.
However, there are circumstances when we feel hopeless, especially when trial after trial happens to us. Remember, it is only in God’s will that we can understand the totality of each situation. As the Word says, “Knowing this, that the trying of your faith worketh patience” (James 1:3).
And “Though you have not seen him, you love him; and even though you do not see him now, you believe in him and are filled with an inexpressible and glorious joy, for you are receiving the end result of your faith, the salvation of your souls” (1 Peter 1:8-9).
We are reminded that there is an inexpressible and glorious joy as we continue our faith in God because we know through Him, we can achieve impossible things.
Continued prayer to God makes us remember God’s promises to His faithful servants. That is why it is important for us to continue and communicate daily through prayer.
Changes Us through Our Inner Strength
Prayer has the power to change us by building our inner strength through Christ Jesus. As stated in Psalm 46:1-3,
God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble. Therefore we will not fear, though the earth give way and the mountains fall into the heart of the sea, though its waters roar and foam and the mountains quake with their surging.
The Father in Heaven promises to be the refuge in times of harsh circumstances. Therefore, prayers have the power to change circumstances to a better one by changing our inner perspectives to that of a perspective that has faith in Christ Jesus and the Father in Heaven.
Our life depends heavily on our prayer life and spiritual life. That is also true with our inner strength. As we pray, our inner strength is being built to be stronger and stronger until we become prepared for whatever circumstances we face because the Father in Heaven has promised in Isaiah 43:1-3,
Do not fear, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by name, you are mine. When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and through the rivers, they shall not overwhelm you; when you walk through fire you shall not be burned, and the flame shall not consume you. For I am the Lord you God, the Holy One of Israel, your Savior.
Whenever we need strength, we can count on God to be there in endless ways as written in Proverbs 18:10, “The name of the Lord is a strong tower; the righteous run into it and are safe.”
And rest assured your path is right as long as you have constant communication to God through prayer.
Changes Us through Ultimate Surrender
Prayer changes us through our ultimate surrender to God. Prayer is a form of worship and only through worship, we are able to surrender ourselves through God. As Scripture says,
Therefore I urge you, brethren, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies a living and holy sacrifice, acceptable to God, which is your spiritual service of worship (Romans 12:1).
Through ultimate surrender, we can rest all our worries to the Lord, “Rest in the Lord and wait patiently for Him; Do not fret because of him who prospers in his way, Because of the man who carries out wicked schemes” (Psalm 37:7).
Finally, we are reminded that, indeed, prayer is our most important tool in communicating with God. It is also equally important if we have faith in Him and we know Him better, which can be achieved through continuous prayer.
Having a continuous communication with the Lord will help us and lead us to the right path. A stronger prayer life changes us through our inner strength, through ultimate surrender, through patience, by listening, by knowing God better, and through faith in Christ Jesus as the Bible tells us,
Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the LORD your God will be with you wherever you go (Joshua 1:9).