Prayer is an important part of believers' relationships with God: it is how He communicates with us. Through prayer, God gives direction and encouragement in our daily lives so we can help others in need and pray for those who don't know Him.

God wants us to pray! He has chosen to do little or nothing except through His people’s prayers. Jesus commanded us to pray (Matthew 13:33, Luke 10:2) and He taught us how to pray (Matthew 6:5-13). He has also told us what to pray for (Matthew 9:38, Luke 22:40). Jesus Himself prayed frequently; in Luke 6:12-14, we see that He prayed all night before choosing His disciples. Nearly all of John 17 is Jesus praying for His disciples—both then and now.

Prayer works! When we seek God’s will and pray according to His heart’s desire, He answers in ways beyond what we can imagine. Prayer changes us—our perspectives shift the more we pray, both as individuals and as a church. Through prayer, God directs and blesses our efforts, making our ministries more fruitful. We no longer work in our own strength but in God’s power, which can do “more than all we ask or imagine” (Ephesians 3:20).