By John Woodhouse

Prayer is both a privilege and a responsibility. It is a gift to be received with thanks, and it is a task to be done faithfully.

Consider the gift of prayer. It is expressed well in song:

What a privilege to carry everything to God in prayer.

But this privilege is ours because of Jesus:

What a friend we have in Jesus,
all our sins and griefs to bear.

Christian prayer is not a human ‘spiritual exercise’ but a response to the gracious gospel call “Come to me” (Isaiah 55:3; John 7:37). It is casting “all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you” (1Peter 5:7). Christian prayer is the prayer of faith — the response of one who trusts in their heavenly Father who “knows what you need before you ask him” (Matt 6:8). Prayer is a gift because the one to whom we pray has graciously given himself to us.

Consider, then, the task of prayer. God’s gifts are not imposed on us in a way that destroys our personal responsibility. The grace of God calls for a response. Those who know the kindness of our heavenly Father must deliberately put their full trust in him, rather than in anyone or anything else. And trusting God involves letting “your requests be made known to God” (Philippians 4:6).

I hope that this will remind you of the gift of prayer, and encourage you in the task of prayer.

John Woodhouse is the Principal of Moore College.