The Essence of Prayer

I love you, O Lord, my strength.

Psalm 18:1  

What is prayer all about?  What is the essence of prayer?  

Is the essence of prayer talking to God?  Asking things of God?  Praising God?  Giving thanks to God?  Listening to God?  Confessing our sin to God?  

All of these things are important, but I could not say that any of them is the essence of prayer.  

Prayer, at its core, is all about loving God.  Prayer is connecting with God, drawing close to God, communing with God.  

Prayer is all about a love relationship, a love relationship between you and – get this – the God of the universe!  He already loves you perfectly, infinitely, outlandishly.  And you, ideally, are falling in love with him more and more.  You have fallen for him.  

Prayer is the overflow of this love.  Right here we come to the essence of prayer:  the overflow of a love relationship between you and your God.  

Lovers talk.  Lovers hang out together.  Lovers enjoy each other’s presence.  

David felt this love.  Oh, did he ever!  “I love you, O Lord, my strength.”  

What about you?  Do you feel this love?  Deep within your heart, do you sense the stirrings of love?  This thirst for God, this hunger for God, this spontaneous outburst of your soul, “I love you, O Lord, my strength.”  
This is prayer.  Not religious duty.  Not checking a box.  Not clocking in.  Not ritual or liturgy.  Not talking God into something.  

Prayer is the overflow of love.  

“I love you, O Lord, my strength.”