Prayer helps in these four areas of spiritual growth:

1. Growth in understanding God’s ways.In James 1:5 it says, “If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all liberally…” It seems from this verse (and the previous verses), that wisdom, which is really an understanding of God’s ways, is gained through prayer as well as through experience; for as we encounter various trials (verse 2), we pray and ask God for an understanding of what to do (verse 5). Therefore, both experience and prayer are needed.

Experience (including all the trials we go through) keeps us in touch with reality, and prayer keeps us in touch with God, who in turn helps us understand all that we experience—which is wisdom.

Experience allows us to grow in endurance as we encounter various trials, and prayer keeps us trusting and in touch with God—who is…