Jesus taught His disciples to pray. This would indicate that prayer, at least in part, is a learned discipline. To the degree that any human is engaged with God, every feature of our soul is at play: the mind, the emotion, and the will. Prayer allows a believer to reach into the depths of himself and disclose to God what He already knows about us: our sins (in prayers of confession); our fears and sorrows (in prayers of lamentation); our joys and thanksgiving (in prayers of adoration and praise). Prayer not only allows one a growing awareness of God and His work in our lives, it is also a gateway to self-awareness.
