Join us on a journey to become Jesus’ prayer partner. Candice and I long to know Jesus, and we long to help others know him. We want to teach others how to pray without feeling ashamed, guilty, unworthy, or inadequate.

In reading through the Gospels, you’ll never find Jesus making people ashamed about prayer or condemning them for not praying. He told his disciples, “When you pray”—not “Why don’t you pray more?” We somehow sense that our Lord Jesus understands the battle we engage in as we develop a life of prayer.

Everything about you was made for God and created for his presence. And the true longing of your heart is to know him because we were all formed in his very image. Just like every one of us longs to know our earthly fathers better, so there is a deep longing for all of mankind to know our heavenly Father. You might call it our soul-thirst for him. When we enter his presence and come before him, we are connecting with our True Source. It’s in his presence that we’re empowered. It’s in his throne room that we come to life because there is absolutely nothing else on this side of heaven that can compare to communing with him!

“I long to drink of you, O God, to drink deeply from the streams of pleasure flowing from your presence. My longings overwhelm me for more of you!”

Psalm 42:1 TPT

We’re all created to be the Father’s living vessels, filled with all that he is. He becomes our content, our substance—and we become his container—containers of the Christ! Without man, God has nowhere to put himself, nowhere to pour out his very life. He can fill the universe with his wisdom and order, but he longs for a home, a place of rest. In a very real way, God needs you to become his completion, his fullness on the earth (Ephesians 1:17–23).

As we thirst for God, we connect with the desire of our eternal soul. Like a hunted deer panting for refreshment, we thirst for the living God. And this thirst can sometimes be overwhelming. As you go on this journey with us, you will begin to find that you just can’t go on without a fresh infilling from the Fountain of Life, and prayer gives us that infilling.

After years of seeking him, we have discovered that the way to live Christ is to breathe him, and the way to breathe him is to call on him without ceasing. In 1 Timothy 6:12, Paul says, “Lay your hands upon eternal life, to which you were called.” We’ve been called to eternal life. Now we must lay hold of this life by calling on the Lord night and day, day and night. By calling on him, we breathe him in.

The greatest lesson we have ever learned about prayer is this: Jesus is my prayer life! Jesus is our life, our strength, our victory, our hope of glory. He is the life and power of our prayers. Jesus in me is my prayer life and to be his partner in prayer must be the passion of every intercessor. His life in me is an ever-praying life! He ever lives to make intercession for me and in me! When you really believe this, your fear of not praying correctly will vanish! God has given us the privilege of taking hold of him and borrowing his strength. Fellowship with the eternal God takes weak and unfit people and makes them his co-rulers, working together to bring his purposes to pass. You can become a walking prayer meeting on two legs as you intercede throughout the day. Busy moms, hurried men, students, and ministers alike can all mingle prayers with their daily work. An intercessor can maintain a spirit of constant prayer no matter what else is going on.

Calling on the Lord is one way that he draws us into his heart. He knows that his life-changing power is released when we spend time with him. And he knows that adoration turns into transformation if we’ll be patient. To love him must be our supreme occupation. And the more we love him, the more we spend time with him, and the more we spend time with him, the more our soul is transformed into his image.

“We can all draw close to him with the veil removed from our faces. And with no veil we all become like mirrors who brightly reflect the glory of the Lord Jesus. We are being transfigured into his very image as we move from one brighter level of glory to another. And this glorious transfiguration comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit.”

2 Corinthians 3:18 TPT

“Those who truly love me are those who obey my commands. Whoever passionately loves me will be passionately loved by my Father. And I will passionately love him in return and will reveal myself to him.”

John 14:21 TPT

As we give him our heart in prayer, he gives us his heart in exchange, transforming us from deep within. The more you give your heart to prayer, the more you’ll experience his presence.

Think of the Holy of Holies as the Heart of the Father

Think of the veil separating you from the Holy of Holies as being torn open by the Father’s hand. Think of it as God’s heart being torn open for you to peek inside. When you do, you’ll see that he really is kind and merciful and forgiving after all. Prayer is the exquisite privilege of looking inside of God. He’s not a condemning Father staring at you and wondering why it took you so long, but he is a Father whose heart has been torn open and is ready to receive you and hear your voice as you cry out to him. He loves it! Prayer is not a burden, and it’s not a duty. It’s a privilege, and it’s easy. It’s a pleasure-filled experience of entering the ecstasy of his presence. When we understand the heart of Father God torn open to receive us, we will run into his presence with delight and joy. Remember, prayer is easy when you love him!

We pray not only to receive what we need but to know him. All prayer is union with God. We join our heart, our spirit, and our longing with God’s as we touch the eternal together. Our hearts are drawn toward heaven when we open our lips and call upon his name. Any need we have must be secondary to satisfying his Father-heart in prayer.

Why Do We Pray?

The first thing that happens for many people when you mention prayer is a feeling of condemnation rather than a joy of communing with the Living Father. Many people think God is either mad or sad. They imagine that he’s mad at every sinner, every backslider, and every Christian who blows it. Or they think that he’s sad and melancholy over a world that’s abandoned his ways. But we need to see that God is a happy God. He enjoys weak people, loves our prayers, and is touched by everything that affects us. And prayer touches his heart. Believe it or not, the Lord Jesus understands the difficulty we have in developing a life of prayer. He understands all our weaknesses!

Song of Songs 2:14 says, “How beautiful your eyes of worship and lovely your voice in prayer.” Where is there condemnation in that? Guilt is the greatest hindrance to prayer. And guilt is such a poor motivator in the Christian life. It will produce results for a while, but it leaves a horrible aftertaste in our soul. You may start to feel that you never pray enough. And you may never feel as though you pray perfectly, with the right passion and the right words. But he’s not keeping a record. In the ears of the Father there is a sweetness to our voice. “Come and pray to me,” he says. “Let me hear your voice in prayer!”

This is an invitation for you to arise and pray. It is time to worship him even in your place of need. If only you knew how sweet your voice is each time you call out to him, it would bring you over and over into the secret chamber of his heart. Jesus calls to you: “How lovely you look there hidden in My love. Let Me hear your heart’s cry, and I will answer you. Your voice is music to My ears—sweet, pleasing, and acceptable to Me.”

Pray this today: Lord Jesus, you have won my heart. You tell me that my voice is sweet and that you delight to hear my prayer. Your love is the strength of my heart. Show me even more of your love today. I want my prayer to move your heart and to change me. Teach me how to value prayer as you did. Help me to rise early to seek your face and gaze upon your glory. I trust in you, my Lord and my God. Amen.

This post is adapted from Throne Room Prayer by Brian and Candice Simmons. The day will come when each of us will stand before God in his throne room. The book of Revelation specifically gives us stunning insight into what God’s glorious throne room is all about. Understanding prayer from within the throne room will change how you pray and live.

You can also partner with Jesus in heavenly prayer with Prayers from the Throne Room: 365 Daily Meditations and Declarations. This daily prayer book that will help you expand your prayer life. Journey into the throne room and grow in your understanding of the power of intercession. Use your voice to pull God’s presence and heavenly plans to earth as you agree with his will and echo what is in his heart to do.