As Christians, we know that prayer is incredibly important for our spiritual lives.

And when talking about prayer, we often think about how to make personal prayer a bigger priority.

But in the midst of that emphasis, sometimes we forget about the importance of corporate prayer,

of talking to God alongside our brothers

and sisters in Christ in the context of the church. My guest today is Paul Miller, author

of the best-selling book A Praying Life. In our conversation, he deepens our understanding

of prayer by highlighting why we need to pray with one another if we really want

to experience the full blessing of prayer.

Reflecting on stories from his own life and church, Paul's insights in our conversation

were truly eye-opening and encouraging.

Paul serves as executive director of See Jesus, a global disciplining ministry that mentors

Christians through seminars,

cohorts, and interactive Bible studies. He's the best-selling author of several books,

including his newest from Crossway, a praying church, becoming a people of hope in a

discouraging world. Let's get started.

Well, Paul, thank you so much for joining me today on the Crossway podcast.

Thank you, Matt. It's great to be here.

So I think it's fair to say that prayer is one of those topics that most of us maybe feel a little bit conflicted about.

On the one hand, we know that it's really important, foundationally important for our lives as Christians. And maybe we've even experienced

seasons or moments of real vibrancy in our prayer life. We've felt the Lord coming near to us in

prayer, and we've loved that. And yet I also think we can feel

a sense of guilt or inadequacy or frustration when it comes to our prayer lives. So I guess I wonder first,

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