Worship is an essential part of a Christian’s faith. Christians worship God to thank him for his love, ask for forgiveness for their sins and try to understand his will for them.

As part of this worship, Christians pray both privately and publicly.
Prayer is an important way to experience God as christians believe it is a way of communicating with God. By bringing their problems to God, or asking for forgiveness and help, they come closer to him.
Christians believe they speak with God in prayer

“This, then, is how you should pray: ‘Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name,” Matthew 6:9.

Christians describe prayer as a conversation with God. Prayer can be silent or said out loud. It can use a set of words, or a person’s own words. In prayer, Christians lift their minds and hearts to God.

There are many different kinds of prayer, including;

Adoration–praising God for his greatness and admitting dependence on him.

Confession–owning up to sin and asking for God’s mercy and forgiveness.

Thanksgiving–thanking God for his many blessings, for example; health or children.

Petition–asking God for something, for instance; healing, courage or wisdom.

Intercession–asking God to help others who need it, for example; the sick, poor, those suffering in war.

Most Christians believe that  prayer deepens a person’s faith. Praying helps the believer come to a greater understanding of God’s purpose for their lives. Christians interpret the response they might get to their prayers in the following ways:

God answers prayers, but not always in the way the person wants. When a prayer is not answered, it may be that the person asked for something God thinks would not be good for them, or that their prayer will be answered later.

“There is no single day I have asked God for anything in prayer and he has not given it to me. When I am praying to God while asking for help, I talk to him as if I am talking to my own dad because, I am sure he can not refuse to give his daughter what she is asking for because he can afford it,” Caroline Akol noted.

Sometimes Christians think that God has answered their prayers in quite spectacular ways. For instance, the recovery of a sick person. They may see this as a miracle.
For some Christians, meditation or contemplation is a way of trying to reach a higher spiritual level.

Why is prayer important for to christians?
Jesus taught them how to pray (the Lord’s Prayer) and Jesus is often recorded as praying in the Bible.

Firstly, prayer encourages Christians to acknowledge the goodness of God and how great he is (prayers of adoration).
It encourages Christians to confess and ask for forgiveness.

It helps Christians to remain humble as they thank God for all the things he has given them.

Prayer encourages Christians to remember the needs of others rather than focusing on themselves (prayers of intercession).

It encourages Christians to remember that they cannot do everything themselves and they need someone greater than them (prayers of petition).

It unites the Church as some prayers are said together as part of the service. Prayer is therefore, an integral part of a Christian and their life.