Growing Closer to God Through Prayer

 

Sometimes, when people first become Christians, they feel kind of confused about how to pray. They might be asking things like, What am I supposed to say? Am I doing it wrong? And sometimes that makes them not want to pray much at all. But the thing is, prayer is actually super important. It’s how we talk to God and get closer to Him. It doesn’t have to be fancy or perfect—just real. And the more we do it, the more it starts to feel natural, and the more we grow in our faith.

One verse that really helps with this is Philippians 4:6-7 (NLT). It says, “Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done. Then you will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus.”

This verse shows us that we should go to God with all our problems, and He’ll bring healing and give us peace. That’s one of the many awesome reasons why we pray—because God actually listens and helps. But we also should know that when we talk to God, we also need to have faith. He’s not just listening to our words—He’s also looking at our heart too.

And we shouldn’t treat prayer like a wish list. It’s not about asking for stuff like a huge mansion, an expensive car, or a million dollars. Those things are great and there’s nothing wrong with dreaming big, but we also need to check ourselves. Have we been thankful for what we already have? Have we been responsible with the little things God’s given us? When we take care of what we have now, we show God we’re ready for more later. After that, sure—go ahead and dream, and ask God if you're ready for what's next.

We also need to remember that our motivation for being in a relationship with God shouldn’t be based only on getting blessings from Him. We should seek Him because He loves us, He’s our Creator, and He wants to have a close relationship with us. 

And don’t forget to thank God for everything He’s already done in your life and all the blessings you’ve received. When God sees that you’re thankful, it shows Him you appreciate what He’s done.

So in conclusion, prayer is how we stay connected to God—it’s how we grow stronger in Him. And when we pray with faith, with honesty, and with gratitude, He responds by covering us with a peace that guards our hearts in ways we can’t even explain.  

Scripture quotations marked (NLT) are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Wheaton, Illinois 60189. All rights reserved.

“Growing Closer to God Through Prayer”, written for aheartforchristdevotions@blogspot.com by Kraiapril©2025. All rights reserved. All done to the glory of God through Jesus Christ, our Lord!