As we continue our series on seeking God, today we'll explore the intimate closeness of seeking God through prayer.

How amazing is our Father that He wants to commune with us, with you, with me.

Take a second to fathom how beautiful that truly is. And today, may your heart be stirred

to take advantage of the unbelievable gift prayer is as you experience God. Welcome to the

First of Teen podcast. Jesus says in Matthew 6,6, but when you pray, go into your room and shut the door and pray to your father who is in secret.

The fact that God listens to us as his children changes the landscape of prayer from empty phrases uttered into the abyss to direct communication with the creator and sustainer

of all. When you pray, you are heard by your Heavenly Father. And it's because he listens to us

that prayer is one of the most wonderful and powerful avenues to pursue him. May we learn to

dialogue in greater ways with our Heavenly Father as we open our hearts to all he would show us today

about prayer.

Matthew 6, 7 through 8 says,

And when you pray, do not heap up empty phrases as the Gentiles do,

for they think that they will be heard for the many words.

Do not be like them, for your father knows what you need before you ask him. Jesus inaugurated an entirely new perspective

on prayer. Prior to Jesus, God's people would pray out of obligation or ritual, begging a seemingly

distant God to move on their behalf. Jesus taught that God knows our needs before we even ask. He taught that God

is a good father who longs to respond to the needs of his children. And in John 157, he taught,

if you abide in me and my words abide in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you. God's desire is to respond

favorably to our prayers. He always has our absolute best in mind and longs to satisfy the desires

of our hearts. The key to effective communication with God is first to trust that he is a good father who

listens and longs to answers the prayers of his children.

And after gaining proper perspective, we need to spend significant time allowing God to fill us

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