What’s Important About Prayer?

Prayer isn’t about performance. It’s about presence.

Prayer is one of those things many people often do when they are in a bind, which is giving "friend of convenience". But I believe that calling on God is something we can do everyday. In fact, I encourage it if you want to get to know Him better and the power at your disposal. But how often do we really stop to ask why we should pray? What’s the purpose behind it? And when I pray, am I truly connecting with God or am I just performing, pleading, or going through the motions to give the appearance of a good Christian?

At different times in my life, I’ve done all three. I’ve prayed like I was on stage, quoting scriptures and trying to say all the right things. I’ve prayed like I was begging someone somewhere out there to hear me. And then there have been those precious moments when I wasn’t performing or pleading, rather I was simply present. Talking to God like an old friend. Being still. Pouring out my heart and listening for His voice within me of reassurance that everything will be alright. I have found that prayer isn’t about performance. It’s about presence. It's about posturing ourselves in surrender to God's will. It's about faith to believe and see before it manifests.

In Get Serious and Other Principles to Pull You Through, there’s a chapter called “If You Can See It, You Can Have It.” In it, I talk about how, before you order professional photos, the photographer sends you “proofs.” These proofs aren’t the final product, but they give you a preview of what’s coming. Faith is like those proofs. It is evidence of the real thing on the way.

And prayer? Prayer positions us to believe. It’s how we see those proofs in the Spirit. It builds our faith and activates it. When we pray, we’re not just talking to God. We’re stepping into alignment with His will, His timing, and His power.

We forget sometimes that we’re in a spiritual battle and that battle is more real than what our physical eyes can see. The enemy would love for us to live prayer-less lives, because more prayer means more power released. Not just power to change our circumstances, but power to change who we are. To strengthen us, to give us peace in chaos, and to help us see beyond what’s visible.

Prayer isn’t about persuading God to do something. It’s about participating in what He’s already doing. It’s our opportunity to see the unseen, to grow closer to the heart of the Father, and to exercise a faith that pleases Him.

And here’s the truth: Prayer is personal. It’s between you and God. So don’t pray to impress people. Don’t worry about getting the words just right. Don’t treat it like a religious checkbox.

Let it be real. Let it be personal. Let it be yours.

Nugget of Truth:

Prayer opens our spiritual eyes to see the unseen and believe for it. Prayer is about you and God, not a performance for others to hear, but a powerful moment for God to move. So step into His presence with faith, speak from your heart, and trust that He’s already at work behind the scenes.