What is prayer? CQ Kids

Prayer is the way we communicate with God. It’s like a power cord that stretches all the way to Him in heaven. Prayer “charges” our hearts with more energy to serve Him while increasing our faith and peace. When we pray to the Creator of the Universe, our attitude should be humble, respectful, and thankful. The quality of our prayers is not dependent on the number of words we use, but on the sincerity of our heart.

We should remove all distractions when we pray. We might choose to fold our hands, close our eyes, or kneel in order to help us focus better. Although we can pray anywhere, anytime, our prayers are preferable in quiet places, like in our room when we wake up in the morning or go to bed at night. We also pray before a meal, to tell God how thankful we are for what He has provided.

We pray because we want to have a relationship with God through his son, Jesus. Jesus provided the best examples of prayer and praying. He depended on God and always approached Him with humility, recognizing God’s superiority. If Jesus, the highest being created by God, was completely dependent upon God, then even more so, we should be too!

In the book of Matthew, (see 6:5,6) Jesus taught us to pray in secret. This doesn’t mean we can’t pray in front of others or that we have to go to a literal, secret place. He meant our prayers should not be used as a show for others. (see Matthew 6:5)

In the book of Luke, Jesus spoke a parable about a Pharisee and a tax collector. Pharisees were the religious teachers of that time, and many were prideful and insincere in their worship of God. (see Luke 18:10-14 NASB 1995)

Jesus said, “Two men went up into the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and