Devotional - The Simplicity of Prayer -

July 20, 2022

Hi Friend,

I hope you’re having a good week!

Last week we had a special guest, Evangelist Eric Gilmour, on Salvation Today and we discussed the topic, “The Simplicity of Prayer”. It was a powerful time in the presence of Jesus. If you missed last week’s LIVE broadcast, you can watch it HERE. I want to share a few thoughts from our time together and I pray it encourages you in your prayer life.

First, I want to say that in its simplest definition, prayer is communication and communion with God in your heart. Though there are many aspects of prayer, I believe that this is where it all begins. When I first got saved, I was told that I needed to learn to pray and spend time seeking God, but I didn’t know where to begin. I remember being taught to use the Lord’s prayer as a prayer guide, and it helped me at first, but as I continued to grow in my relationship with the Lord, I realized that prayer is much more about relationally experiencing God than listing off a bunch of requests to Him.

Madam Guyon said in her writings that prayer is “the application of the heart to God…when you really understand prayer it’s easier than breathing…it’s the internal exercise of love”. I love what this woman of God had to say because that really is the heart of and the simplicity of prayer. It is affection based, relationship based, and it should flow naturally for the children of God from the heart. If we turn prayer into a list of “to-do’s” or a form of “checking off the boxes” and don’t have an encounter with Jesus, we are missing it! I love what God says in Jeremiah 29:12, 13, “You will call upon Me and go and pray to Me, and I will listen to you. And you will seek Me and find Me when you search for me with all your HEART”. Prayer is more about romance than ritual!

As I mentioned, prayer is simply communication and communion with God. By communication I’m not referring to talking, I’m talking about connection. You could spend a lot of time using your words and talking TO GOD without ever really connecting with Him in your heart. The Apostle Paul told us to “pray without ceasing” (1 Thessalonians 5:16), but if he’s referring to us talking to God that means that we would be “praying” all day long and be distracted from everything else that requires our focus. As Evangelist Gilmour stated last week, “prayer has far more to do with an awareness and consciousness of the presence of God than what we say in prayer”. He also said, “Words are like air when it comes to prayer – the higher you go, the less present they become.”

I believe it’s in that state of fellowship with God throughout your day or in your times alone with Him that other aspects of prayer will flow. In that place of adoration, affection and admiration, the Lord may take you into intercession or petition for your needs, or the needs of the people in your life. He may lead you into the Word of God, where He will begin to speak to the situation that you’re in – giving you relevant wisdom and comfort. He may lead you into a song or a melody that releases joy and peace over your soul. He also may tell you just to be still and set your gaze on Him. These are all forms of prayer. No matter where you go with God in prayer, remember to keep your heart engaged. He loves you, and desires to be with you. He’s never too busy for you! The Scriptures tell us in Proverbs 15:8 that, “the prayers of the upright are His delight”. I encourage you to take some time to communicate and commune with God in your heart, then carry His presence with you throughout the day – that is the simplicity of prayer.

Please join me today at 11 am Eastern Time for another LIVE episode of Salvation Today TV. You can join us LIVE on Facebook HERE or on Youtube HERE. We hope to see you there.

God Bless You!

Evangelist Chris Mikkelson