What Happens When We Pray: 8 Benefits of Heartfelt Prayer
Twilight finds me in a stand of hardwoods, and I watch the canopy flourish in the evening’s marigold glow. I’ve come to the woods to talk to God. As I sit beneath a towering oak, I remind myself of what happens when we pray.
What Happens When We Pray
I spent the first part of my life believing that prayer was a way of getting God to do things for me. As I grew in my spiritual life, I learned that prayer is about cultivating a relationship more than making requests.
Perhaps you need this reminder today as well.
Let’s take a closer look at what actually happens when we pray. Be sure to read to the end of today’s post for a free devotional eBook that will help you establish a rhythm of connecting with the presence of the life-giving God daily.
What Happens When We Pray to God
1. We grow closer to God.
God is a loving Father. He invites us to pray because he longs for a closer relationship with each of his children.
God wants us to share our hearts with him and talk to him. He also wants us to create space to listen to his gentle voice and sense the impressions he puts on our hearts.
Prayer is the act of creating this space to draw near to God and connect with him.
2. We learn more about God’s character.
True prayer also teaches us more about God’s character. We come to understand who God is and discern his will.
The more time we spend in his presence, the more we come to know his character.
One of the best ways to grow in understanding God’s character is to pray through the Bible. By praying Scripture, we align our hearts with God’s heart and see the ways his character is revealed through his Word.
God knows us fully. We come to know him more intimately through his written Word. Through his Word, we can test whether our everyday experiences with him align with what we know about him in the Bible. In this way, the Word is living and active, guiding our lives and leading us to God in our everyday moments as well as our quiet moments.
3. Prayer shapes us to become more like Jesus.
What happens when we pray according to God’s will—in alignment with his character? We become more like Jesus.
Through prayer, God shows us his will for our lives and his heart for the people around us. He fills us with love and compassion for others. He gives us a desire to do his will.
Jesus is full of compassion and wants us to follow him in loving others.
Prayer helps us align with God’s vision for serving those he places in front of us.
Have you ever noticed that when you pray for someone over an extended period of time, God fills your heart with love for that person? This is because our hearts come into alignment with God through prayer. The best way to love difficult people is to start praying for them daily.
4. We exchange worry for peace.
A friend recently reminded me that worry is the appearance of doing something to change a difficult situation; prayer actually does it.
One of the surest ways to exchange worry for peace is through prayer.
Instead of ruminating over your worries, talk to God. Tell him what’s on your mind. Spend time in his Word as you soak in his promises. In doing so, he will cover you with the peace that surpasses understanding.
5. Forces move in heavenly realms.
In his letter to the Ephesian church, the Apostle Paul wrote that the battles we face are more than just physical battles. We are all living on a spiritual battlefield, surrounded by forces of good and evil in the heavenly realms (see Ephesians 6).
Prayer prompts forces in these spiritual realms to move. It breaks down walls and ignites good to overcome evil.
For 15 spiritual warfare verses, join me here.
6. We find greater strength in God.
What happens when we pray during moments of weakness, doubt, fear, and temptation?
God gives us his supernatural strength.
God promises to reveal his power perfectly in our weak moments. We tap into that power by turning to him in prayer.
Are you feeling weak today?
Turn to God. Ask him to give you strength. He is able to help you overcome every temptation, fear, doubt, and weakness you experience. He is waiting to give you strength.
7. God offers direction for our lives.
God also gives us direction when we pray.
Do you feel uncertain about a decision you need to make or doubtful as you seek clarity for the future?
Ask God to direct you. He wants to guide you and lead you on the right path.
8. Prayer changes our circumstances.
When God’s people pray, circumstances change.
God’s ways are higher than our ways. His timing and his ways don’t always align with our expectations. Yet we should not let doubt stop us from seeking him in prayer.
He wants to heal our loved ones, cure our diseases, provide financial miracles, restore marriages, and more. Do you need to turn to God and ask for his help today? What’s stopping you?
When God’s people pray, circumstances change. #prayer Share on X
Calling All Parents and Grandparents!
As the parent of two sons and a daughter, I have a heart for helping parents develop deeper relationships with their children and with God. Our kids, ages 7, 12, and 16, share this vision. They have helped me write three family devotionals for parents or older relatives to read with the children and teens they love. I also recently released a teen devotional called Anchored, designed to help teens learn key biblical narratives and apply them to their lives. You can find these books here or read more below. 
Mother-Daughter Devotionals by a Mom and Daughter
Girl to Girl: 60 Mother-Daughter Devotions for a Closer Relationship and Deeper Faith is written for girls ages 7-12. It includes 60 devotions with Scripture, conversation starters, and a shared journaling section for moms and daughters after each devotion. I wrote this book with the help of our daughter, Bekah, when she was eleven. Find this one-of-a-kind shared devotional here.
Heart to Heart: A Mother-Daughter Devotional With 50 Devotions for Teen Girls is for teenage girls ages 13-20. It includes 50 devotions, each with a shared journaling section to help moms and daughters connect through writing. This is a great book for moms who want to communicate about awkward topics—like dating, sexuality, peer pressure, and more—but don’t know where to start. Bekah and I will help you right here.
Devotions for Boys by Boys
God’s Warrior: Devotions for Boys Who Want to Grow in Courage and Strength helps young boys, ages 5-13, learn what it means to trust God and become strong warriors for his kingdom. Now, more than ever, our world needs men who are willing to boldly carry God’s love into the world. I wrote this boys’ devotional book with our two young sons, Aiden and Caleb, ages six and eleven! You’ll enjoy their honesty as we teach boys how to be strong warriors for the Lord. Find this life-changing devotional book here.
These Books Are Free on Kindle Unlimited: God Wants to Heal, Restore, and Refresh You
God wants to work in your life to accomplish what you’ve been unable to do through willpower alone. He also wants to help you establish a rhythm of meeting with him daily as you trust him with the hard parts of your life. Click here to explore two books that will guide you: Be Still and Trust and Lean Into Grace. They are free on the Kindle Unlimited program and for sale in print.
Download Your Free Devotional Here
Set Free: Let God Do What You Cannot explores ten realms in which most of us need God to work in our lives and bring deliverance. We’ll talk about finding freedom from fear, worry, insecurity, bad habits, emotional pain, and more. This short online devotional will bless you as you let God accomplish what you’ve been unable to achieve through willpower. Get your download for free with promo code GRACE or for a donation of 3.99 here. Thank you. This small gift helps keep this ministry running.
I also offer a library of free online devotional eBooks for free. I invite you to explore the collection right here!
