Too often I approach prayer in a manner that is separate from my life. Prayer is something I do within the context of my life. But maybe, just maybe, I should approach my life as something I do within the context of prayer. Maybe prayer is more than an afterthought or an addendum to who I am and what I do.

What if prayer is both our awareness of and response to God in every area of our lives? What if every area of our lives is in “contact” with God? What if He’s personally involved, or wants to be, in every area of our life? Then by prayer we would come to know both the God of our life and God’s story for our lives.

Prayer becomes something separate from my life when my life becomes something separate from God and His will for my life. I might pray out of routine or formality or because I want God to bless my life. Whether or not I’m living for God — walking in obedience to Him and in relationship with Him — isn’t my concern.

Life in the context of prayer means asking, thinking, feeling, “God, how do my desires, plans, decisions, and circumstances line up with what you want for me? How do they line up with what you want to do in me?”

Prayer is not ultimately about getting answers. Prayer is about my whole life being aligned with God’s will. Heart formation and will transformation are at the heart of prayer. Whether or not the answer I want comes, my heart is being engaged and conformed in relationship with the living God.

The more I love and am committed to my wife, the less I want to make any decision or do anything that would hurt her or damage our relationship. And the greater the love, the more the fear of that happening diminishes. So it is with God. The more we come to love and to know Him, the less we will want to make any decision or do anything that would go against His will. And the less we will fear doing so.

Prayer is not something extra we do to know God or do His will. In every area of your life and in every season of your life, God is at work. Prayer, then, is talking life over with God and walking with Him every step of the way.