How is prayer communicating with God?

Answer

To comprehend the essence of God’s communication with us, and our communication with Him, we must begin with a few fundamental principles. The first is that God speaks only truth. He never lies, and He is never deceitful. Job 34:12 proclaims, “It is inconceivable that God would act wickedly, that the Almighty would pervert justice.” The second principle is that the Bible consists of God’s very words. The Greek term for “Scripture,” graphe, is utilized 51 times in the New Testament to refer to the Old Testament writings. Paul confirms in 2 Timothy 3:16 that these words are directly “breathed out by God.” The term graphe also pertains to the New Testament, notably when Peter identifies Paul’s epistles as “scripture” in 2 Peter 3:16, and also when Paul «For the scripture says, ‘You shall not muzzle the ox while it treads out the grain,’ and ‘The laborer is worthy of his wages.’ », (in 1 Timothy 5:18) quotes Jesus’ words from Luke 10:7 and labels them as “scripture.” Therefore, once we establish that a New Testament writing falls into the special category of “scripture,” it is appropriate to apply 2 Timothy 3:16 to that writing as well, affirming that the writing also possesses the characteristics Paul attributes to “all scripture.” It is “God-breathed,” and all its words are indeed the very words of God.

Why is this information relevant to the topic of prayer? Now that we have confirmed that God speaks only truth and that the Bible comprises God’s very words, we can logically draw the following two conclusions regarding communication with God. First, since the Bible states that God listens to man (Psalm 17:6,77:1;Isaiah 38:5), man can have confidence that when he is in a right relationship with God and speaks to Him, God will indeed hear him. Second, since the Bible represents God’s words, man can trust that when he

When someone is in a right relationship with God and reads the Bible, they are literally hearing God’s spoken word. The necessary healthy communication between God and humans is evidenced in three ways. The first is turning from sin, or repentance. For example, Psalm 27:9 is David’s plea for God to hear him and not turn away from him in anger. From this, we understand that God turns His face away from human sin, hindering communication. Another example is found in Isaiah 59:2, where Isaiah tells the people, “But your iniquities have separated you from your God; your sins have hidden his face from you, so that he will not hear.” Therefore, unconfessed sin in our lives hinders communication with God.

Also necessary for communication is a humble heart. God speaks these words in Isaiah 66:2, “This is the one I esteem: he who is humble and contrite in spirit, and trembles at my word.” The third thing is a righteous life. This is the positive side of turning from sin and is marked specifically by effectiveness in prayer. James 5:16 says, “The prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective.”

Our speech to God may be vocal, in our minds, or written. We can be confident that He will hear us and that the Holy Spirit will help us pray what we ought to pray. Romans 8:26 says, “In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groans that words cannot express.”

Regarding God’s method of communicating back to us, we should primarily look for God to speak to us through Scripture, rather than always trusting that God will directly implant thoughts into our minds to guide us to specific actions or decisions. Due to our capacity for self-deception, it is unwise to accept that every thought in our minds is from God. Sometimes, concerning specific issues in our lives, God does not speak.

To us directly through Scripture, and it can be understandably tempting to look for extra-biblical revelation in those instances. However, at such times, it is wisest—in order to avoid putting words in God’s mouth and/or opening ourselves to deception—to find answers by referring to biblical principles that He has already given us.

It is also advisable to pray earnestly for the wisdom to come to the right conclusions, for He has promised to give wisdom to those who ask for it. “If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given him” «If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him. », (James 1:5). How is prayer communicating with God? Prayer is our speaking from our hearts to our heavenly Father, and, in return, God’s speaking to us through His Word and guiding us by the leading of His Spirit.