Prayer is one of the most powerful weapons God has given us, and looking ahead to 2023. I believe it is vital for God’s people to be on their knees. But knowing how to pray is not always easy. Jesus’ disciples felt the same confusion. They were familiar with the oft-repeated prayers of the Torah. But Jesus prayed with a kind of authority and power they had never seen before — as though God was listening! So when they came to Jesus, as told in Matthew 6, they didn’t say, “Teach us another prayer.” They said, “Lord, teach us to pray.”

Prayer is powerful and intimate and changes the hearts of those who pray regularly by drawing us closer to God. There are many ways to pray, and we find evidence in the Bible. Some prayers may be motivated by a need for healing, help, or a grateful heart. Other prayers are a result of considering and declaring the grandiosity of God.

Whatever the kind of prayer we bring to God, what’s most important is that we prioritize prayer because it is how we fellowship with God and develop a personal relationship with him.