We live in such a godless world. Everyone can see it -- just turn on the news. The world is cold-hearted, unfair, and cruel. When it seems like there is no one to turn to, think again. There are so many benefits of having a secure and strong prayer life. I want to see more Christians from our generation taking prayer more seriously. Prayer is more than just a quick request that we pass our class or don’t get in trouble for doing something stupid. It is more than just saying grace on special occasions. It has so many functions -- it holds so much weight.

It’s a way of communicating and speaking directly to God. It’s like talking to your best friend at the end of a long day, where you can spill all your secrets and feelings without a second thought. You can tell Him anything and everything. He knows everything but hearing it from His precious son/daughter means a lot. You can confess your sins against others and yourself. Our God is a forgiving God, and will always give us grace and mercy if we can genuinely be aware of our wrong doings and try to correct them. There is no one too worthy or unworthy of receiving grace, so no matter what it is, God can take the weight of it.

This is also the time to pray over the goodwill and protection of others. When you pray over others it’s kind of like speaking into their lives. Never stop praying over that person to be healed, saved, or rehabilitated. These things may seem impossible to us but keep lifting these kinds of prayers up because they are possible for God. Whether the person knows it not, watch how their lives change and God works in them. It could be little by little or something obvious. And it is not a magical thing, it’s a powerful thing. Do not be afraid to pray over someone else. Anyone can do it. If you want to pour into their lives, pray for them! You have someone praying over you at this very moment. I mean, c'mon, we are all students right now, you can believe someone is keeping you in their prayers. They are praying for your safety and positive guidance, just looking out for you -- we should do the same for others.

Prayer brings the devil down in a MAJOR way. Let’s just be real, there is spiritual warfare going on everywhere around us. Prayer helps us stay connected to God and we can become stronger at listening to the right voice. Staying connected with God will further distance yourself from anything else, because God will become so consuming in your life. The devil will have no chance and no place in your heart. When we give all our attention to God we learn how to block out the enemy. And when the enemy does find a way to grab a hold of us, we know exactly what to do and who to turn to. We can declare his dismissal from our lives in the name of Jesus.

Ask for what your heart desires. Reveal what exactly you want in your life. God may or may not give it to you but in His timing, we can trust we will have an answer. He is not a genie and He is not just there to give you whatever you want, whenever you want, but He does provide what is best for you.

To me, prayer keeps me sane. I like being reassured that I don’t have to worry because He is still in control at the end of the day. It is relieving knowing that I can talk to Him and I can place all my cares and worry into the hands of God. I admire a person who can fall onto their knees and submit themselves to God, in the midst of all this madness. It shows that they are aware of things they do not understand or cannot control. We need to bring this back into our generation even more than before because the world will only get crazier.