God desires an intimate relationship with you—one marked by communication. The simplest definition of prayer is communication with God. It’s both talking to Him and hearing from Him.

God’s heart for an intimate, conversational relationship is revealed in Jesus’ life, which modeled continuous communication with the Father. It’s shown in Jesus’ teachings that invite us to communicate personally with God. And it’s seen in Jesus’ death, resurrection, ascension, and the sending of the Spirit—so that you can have direct access to God and hear from Him through His Spirit of God who speaks to us through the Scripture, others, and even personally.

What’s the point of all of this? In communicating with God, you get God. You were made for Him, and prayer is, at its core, being with God—the life you were created for. Additionally, as we spend time with Him in prayer, we are changed by Him, guided by Him, and receive all that He wants to give.

Because God desires an intimate, conversational relationship with us, our response is to say “yes” and grow in the life He invites us into. Each year, our community sets aside a month to focus on growing in prayer together. We organize opportunities for prayer in large gatherings, small groups, and personal spaces—at home, at work, and wherever we go.

We are focusing on prayer in a variety of ways this month, with options for everyone. Tap the button below to learn about opportunities to pray in January.

We’ve prepared two guides to help us make the most of this month, First, there’s a guide for the month of prayer that helps us think more deeply about the prayer Jesus taught us and begin praying that way. Second, we’ve put together a guide for the week of fasting that offers a brief description of this discipline and a few tips and ideas for engaging in it.