At Maranatha Christian School in Melbourne, faith and learning go hand in hand. Our Christian community encourages students and staff to grow in their relationship with God through daily prayer, reflection, and service. In this reflection, I share what I’ve learned about prayer and how it continues to shape my journey of Christian faith.
What I Have Learned About Prayer
During my application to Maranatha several years ago, I was asked if there was an area in my faith that I found difficult to understand. My answer was simple: prayer.
It wasn’t that talking or listening to God was the problem. My struggle was trying to grasp why prayer mattered if God already knows everything. What difference could praying really make? There have been times when it seemed like God didn’t answer prayer, so the questions and doubts were understandable.
Of course, I’m not the first to wrestle with prayer, and I certainly won’t be the last.
While I wouldn’t say I have it all figured out, here are a few things I’ve learned along the way.
1. God knows all things, yet He still calls us to pray.
In Praying with Paul, D. A. Carson writes, “Prayer changes things… Or does it?” He unpacks the tough questions about God’s will, whether prayer can change His mind, and how it fits with His perfect purposes.
These ideas can make your head spin. Yet the Bible is clear: we are commanded to pray, and we are given countless examples of prayer.
Most importantly, Jesus Himself prayed.
Often.
And He taught His disciples to do the same.
In His Sermon on the Mount, at the beginning of His ministry, He said: “This, then, is how you should pray…” (Matt. 6:9).
I am learning to think more biblically about prayer, holding two truths in balance: God’s sovereignty and our responsibility. The Bible teaches that God is ultimately in control, and yet human beings remain accountable for their choices, including the choice to pray. One doesn’t cancel out the other. A friend once described it like a seesaw: on one side, God’s absolute authority; on the other, our genuine responsibility. Both truths remain in tension, but both are real.
If Jesus prayed, and if He taught us to pray, then surely we must pray.
Even with all attempts to explain it, there is still mystery. But mystery is part of our Christian faith and education journey.
2. What happens when we pray?
When I pray, sometimes the circumstances change. But often, things change in ways I don’t expect, and it is my understanding of the circumstances that changes.
Recently, I was praying for a family member facing a life-threatening illness and major surgery. I was so grateful when the surgery went well. Yet what moved me most, was how God gave strength to her husband, whose faith never wavered. His hope was anchored in Jesus even through the storm. Watching God at work in ways I hadn’t expected reminded me that prayer is never wasted.
At our Melbourne Christian school, we often reflect on how prayer can bring peace and perspective, reminding us that faith and learning go hand in hand.
3. ‘Who is really in control?’ Learning surrender and trust in Christian life
In Lead with Prayer, the authors write:
Packed schedules impose a practical barrier to becoming a praying [person]. But this practical barrier is rooted in an ideological one: We forget who we’re talking to. If we operate under the illusion that we are in control of our schedule, day, or organization, then why pray? If we believe we are in control, then we will struggle to see how prayer could be the best, most effective use of our limited time. Prayer demands that we offer back to God the control that has been His all along.
That challenges me deeply. Prayer is not an optional extra; it is an act of surrender.
- Prayer is expressing gratitude to God.
- Prayer is relationship and connection to God.
- Prayer is acknowledging our limits.
- Prayer is yielding our desires and our control to God.
- Prayer is expressing our trust and hope in Him.
- Prayer is seeking God’s will over ours.
- Prayer is bringing Him our doubts, worries, and fears.
- Prayer is where we find rest, peace and strength in God.
4. Prayer connects us to one another
My good friend Lisa put it beautifully:
We pray because the God who knows us and sees us also connects us.
When we pray for one another, we are acknowledging that we are connected, not just to God, but to each other. Your pain matters, not just to God, but to me. Your joy is delightful, not just to God, but to me. The suffering of this broken world must be addressed, not just by God, but by me.
God does listen. God hears, God cares, God loves, and though I can’t explain it, I believe God responds to our prayers. …To pray for another person is the opposite of taking an easy spiritual out. Whether they live down the hall, or across the street, or on the other side of the world, whether they are our friend or our enemy, when we pray for others, we should probably be open to the possibility that God’s love, His justice, His grace, His mercy may need to flow through us in other, more tangible, ways.
God listens. God hears. God cares. God loves. And though I can’t fully explain it, I believe with all my heart that God responds to prayer.
My prayer
I’d like to close with a personal prayer that expresses the heart of what I’ve learned.
Lord, You are God, and I am not. Your ways are higher than mine. Teach me to surrender my control, my emotions, my worries, my fears.
I may not understand the storm, but I trust the One who commands the wind and waves. I lay down every anxious thought and heavy burden at Your feet.
Every day is a gift. Help me live today with humility, grace, love, and wisdom. I yield to You, love you and honour You as I love and serve others.
Amen.
Stephan Munyard
Deputy Principal
Maranatha Christian School