I've been thinking about prayer this morning and I've come to the conclusion that in order to pray effectively we must communicate.

In praying for things outside our day-to-day lives (world events, news stories, the environment etc) we must be informed, and that requires keeping up to date with news and events. It's no good praying for "Queen and country" or "the war in Iraq" when we don't know what we are praying for.

Informed prayer can also lead us away from the danger of praying for the "wrong" thing. We can be led by the media to take sides - but we need to be aware the God sees the big picture and we only know what the media or government choose to tell us, especially when praying for events and countries where true communication is restricted.

In a similar way, pray is most effective in praying for people and events that touch our day-to-day lives when we communicate with each other. That may require a level of openness and honesty which we may find difficult, especially when we have been hurt or the issue is deeply personal.

Requesting prayer necessitiates the need to admit you need help. It may require you to confess things that you have done, or think of doing, which haunt you. It is not easy to tell someone what you need prayer for - it takes courage. Often when things are "out in the open" we get a sense of relief. Something which we have been carrying around with us on our own has been shared, and now there are more people carrying the load.

We must remember that prayer is not simply humans communicating with each other. It is primarily a communication with God. Being open and honest with God is not easy (though some people would have us believe that it is). Again we have to admit the need for help. We need to confess those things we have done or want to do. However in doing this, we rid ourselves of the burdens that eat up our lives and find the real freedom to live.

In essence, prayer is spiritual communication. We may not even have to speak the words, God's spirit in us communicates with God in ways we may never comprehend. That is the deepest form of prayer.

Let's communicate.