Prayer—What Is It?
Thetus Tenney

Prayer is breath to the spirit; it is the lifeline to the soul; it is the tether to the eternal.
Prayer is communication between creature and Creator; it is the eye into the invisible; it is the ear to the
unspoken.
Prayer is the access into the heavenlies; it is the activator of the miraculous.
Prayer is enlightenment to the mind; it is understanding to the emotions.
Prayer is man’s greatest opportunity; it is man’s daily challenge; it is man’s amazing possibility.
Prayer is the mystery of all mysteries.
It is as complex as creation.
It is as simple as a child’s talk.
It is the most powerful power available to man.
It is more piercing than a laser.
It is the seed of all things possible.
It is the finality of man’s ability.
Prayer is man plugged into God; it is God working through man.
Prayer is creative. Destructive. Cohesive. Dividing.
Awe-inspiring. Frightening. Possible and probable,
Prayer is bigger than can be imagined; it is faster than a beam of light.
It is endless in possibilities; it can be more concentrated than an atom.
Prayer is forceful. Tender. Shattering. Healing. Complex and simple.
Prayer has never been totally understood, completely explained, or utterly exhausted.
It is beyond the wisest man’s comprehension; it can be effectively used by a child.
All the words ever known can not adequately describe it.
Yet it can be reduced to a single word.
Every language can speak it. Only God can understand it.

Practice it and find peace. Believe in it and find faith. Let it consume you and really live.
Prayer—the unimaginable, incomprehensible, obtainable connection between the finite and the infinite, the earth-bound and the Almighty who fills the universe.
Prayer—God’s gift to man.
Use it. Engage it. Revel in it. Enjoy it. Reap from its riches. Sing it. Read it. Think it. Speak it.
“Men ought always to pray…”
The Bible is a book of prayers. There are over 600 recorded prayers.
There are long prayers and short prayers.
There are desperate prayers and prayers of devotion and thanksgiving.
There are requests and rebukes and repentance.
There are prayers of destruction, life-giving prayers, and multiple intercessions.
There are prayers from a lonely woman, a fearful child, a frightened fisherman, a patriarch, an apostle, a
prophet, and a disciple.
Leaders prayed. Nations prayed. Friends prayed. Groups prayed. Individuals prayed. Sinners prayed. Saints prayed. Jesus prayed. “When you pray …”

The above article, “Prayer – What Is It?” is written by Thetus Tenney. The article was excerpted from
www.wnop.com website, June 2005.

The material is most likely copyrighted and should not be reprinted under any other name or author. However, this material may be freely used for personal study or research purposes.