When you read your Bible and meditate on God’s Word, you hear from God. When you pray, He hears from you. Doing both brings God into your business in a way similar to how you would with a trusted human advisor.
Our prayers do not change God or His plans, but they can change us and our plans. There are four important aspects of prayer that make an impact on our work and that bring glory to God.
First, prayer acknowledges our standing before God. It is an admission of our failures and a recognition of God’s perfection. It is also an acknowledgement that everything we have is a gift from God for which we should be thankful.
Second, prayer asks God for help. It is a surrendering of our control over our life and business and putting it in God’s hands. It is turning from “trusting in our own understanding” to “trusting in the Lord.”
Third, when we rightly pray, our perspective changes. If we understand that God has saved us to serve Him, then our primary focus is to bring Him glory and we will naturally strive to align our prayers with His will. God cares about even our tiniest challenges and concerns and He delights when we bring them to Him. He wants what’s truly best for us and we honor Him when we turn to Him in trust and dependence.
Finally, God uses our prayers to shape us more and more into the image of Christ.
Read the full article here about prayer, why it matters, and how to pray.