Foundational Core Truths about Prayer
This is an overview of some foundational truths about prayer and communicating with God.
We learn to pray by praying.
Prayer is more caught than taught. We just get on our knees and do it. We learn repentance and worship the same way, by repenting and worshiping.
The Father-heart of God longs for us to know him and respond to him.
He pursues a loving relationship with us that is real and personal. If we could learn one thing, it should be who God is and who we are in Christ because of who he is. That is basically all we need to know. God will do the rest.
God is always at work around us, and we must always be alert to see where he is working.
We are constantly listening and watching and praying, and then we join him as he leads. This is the way to be always about our Father’s business, as we do what we see our Father doing and say what we hear our Father saying at every moment.
We pray and praise the names of God.
For every need, there is a specific name of God that expresses a title or attribute that meets the need. We must know by name the One to whom we come with our petitions and intercessions.
Praying the Scriptures is our life.
We make our Bibles our prayer books. Praying the heart of God begins with living in the Word of God. We plead the promises, like Job 42:10 and Gen. 50:20, and praise the praises, like Psalm 100. A modern language translation is helpful in praying fresh, accurate prayers in everyday words.
Truth is a Person, and the Person of God permeates true prayer.
Truth is not a theological concept. God the Father is a Person, Jesus our Savior is a Person, and the Holy Spirit is a person. He speaks to us through his Word and directly to our spirits.
God wants to pour out his reviving Presence to our desperate repentance.
As we are praying for God to give us holy revival fire burning behind our breast bones, it will always include repentance on our faces before him. It means zero tolerance of sin that blocks the smile of his pleasure.
Intimacy with Jesus is everything.
It is not a nice add-on to a good religious life. We must want the nearness of Jesus more than our next breath. Who we are in intimate connection with Jesus is central to our identity and determines how we stand in faith, hope, strength, and so much more.
Prayer is a lifestyle when intimate friendship with Jesus is everything.
Prayer is a way of life, cultivating his presence. By the grace of God and in the fear of the Lord, we will live God-conscious in everything we do. We will pray God-referenced prayers.
Prayer is more than asking.
Prayer is also listening, which is usually more important than talking. Prayer is a two-way relationship of communion with Jesus. It is intimacy with him.
There is a spiritual war going on, and most of the church is clueless.
There are bondages to be broken, strongholds to be torn down, captives to be set free, and victories to be won at the command of our Captain of the Lord’s hosts.
Worship before warfare before work.
Worship is primary. Sometimes it is the warfare. God demonstrated in 2 Chronicles 20 that he wins victories by praise. He ordains praise to silence the opposer of his kingdom (Ps. 8:2).
There you have Prayer Portions in a nutshell, all 366 pages. Prayer Portions is not the final word. It is merely a signpost, directing you to God in all his fullness.
Taken from Sylvia Gunter’s Book: Prayer Essentials for Living in His Presence, Vol 1, page 22. © 2000 by Sylvia Gunter.
Further Reading:
How to be sure God Listens to your Prayers
What Should Be Included in Prayer?
What is Worship? By Sylvia Gunter
A Bible Study on Waiting on God By Sylvia Gunter
Continuous Partial Attention Is your prayer time undistracted?