Here is one place, then, where the Christian mind is out of step with the 20th century worldview. The topic deserves our attention. We will talk briefly about what prayer is, some varieties of prayer, and how we ought to pray. What Prayer Is Probably the most common understanding of prayer is that it means asking God for something. It's like a child's request or a parent cashing a check on our account in the Bank of Heaven the quality of requests for prayer in church meetings attest to the prevalence of this concept of prayer.
Unquestionably petition is an important kind of prayer.
Examples of it are frequent in Scripture, church history, and Christian experience. The problem is that if we see this as the core definition of prayer, we miss a great deal of prayer's real meaning. Done in faith and love and in the power of the Holy Spirit, prayer is our means of making contact with the Lord. Seen in this light, prayer suddenly becomes of primary importance. Knowledge of another person implies communication with that person, an exchange whereby we give of ourselves and receive of the other.