In his works, the saint also points to the natural reasons that prompt every believer to pray. Constant and numerous bodily needs, troubles, sorrows, and temptations prompt a Christian to pray fervently to God (3:101). A special prayerful feat is required by his spiritual needs associated with concern for salvation. The one who strives for eternal life and asks God with faith for help in the struggle against sin, he will certainly and without doubt receive what he asks for (3:102).

Perfect prayer in its ideal manifestation is similar to angelic prayer. In order to attain such a height of prayer, a Christian must apply all the strength of his soul to it, for prayer is the complete turning of the mind and heart of man to God (4:316-317; cf. 2:325). This definition expresses the inner character of prayerful activity. True prayer is not always verbal; it is able to perform salvific actions without words. Such a prayer is often inaccessible to the sight and understanding of the people around him, but God, the Knower of the Heart, "hears our heart's desire, sighing... and our very thought knows; both our word and our thought are equal before Him" (2:325-326).

And if prayer is a conversation between man and God (2:325), then this not only indicates its inner dignity, but also best testifies to the nature of the relationship between God and man. As sons of God by grace, Christians are vouchsafed the highest mercy and honor to converse with God; only they can, like children to their father, speak to Him with fear and trembling about their various needs (3:434). Thus, this conversation – prayer – is a symbol of reconciliation with God of fallen humanity, adopted in Christ by God the Father.

That is why prayer is the most important means of salvation of man, for through it a Christian not only comes to God, but is also eternally united with Him (3:257-258). With constant prayerful exercise, he enters into spiritual communion with the heavenly world, is transported there by his mind and heart, so that the heavenly homeland becomes close and native to him already here on earth. And this approach to eternity gives the Christian the opportunity to experience the joy of the soul's communion with God and the heavenly world, the joy of a new, grace-filled life in Christ. The heart of the praying person, feeling the influx of Divine grace, which renews his spiritual and bodily strength, becomes an unshakable stronghold of saving faith. A zealous man of prayer is free from the temptations of lack of faith, since he actually learns the virtues of the Christian religion and clearly feels the presence and action of Divine grace in the Church of Christ. His faith rises to the level of unshakable confidence, which, as a rule, manifests itself in all spheres of human activity. In this respect, prayer can be compared to the moisture that irrigates a tree: for the grace of God, like a gentle rain, descends on the one who prays, watering his heart and making him capable of doing works of faith (2:324).

Thus, in the matter of spiritual and moral perfection of a Christian, prayer is of great importance. Like light, it shows the praying person the path of spiritual ascent (4:379), enlightens all his spiritual powers: it illumines the mind with the truth of the knowledge of God, fills the heart with holy desires and aspirations, and strengthens the will on the path of true pleasing God (2:154). Sanctified by Divine grace, the human soul aspires to the acquisition of Christian virtues. The whole being of a Christian acquires spiritual value, concentration, and a salvific striving for salvation and eternal life.

Christian perfection, directed and supported by prayerful podvig, is inseparably linked with the moral progress of a Christian. The soul and heart of the person praying always react sensitively to the slightest deviation from the norms of moral life, prompting him to vigilantly watch over the purity of his own conscience before God and all people. In this sense, prayer can be called not only a means of moral perfection, but also a conductor of chastity in the highest sense of the word (1:233).

The connection between prayerful activity and the feat of Christian perfection is also revealed through the characteristic spiritual sensations of the person praying. Sincere, heartfelt prayer, with the participation of all the spiritual powers of a person, always awakens in him a sense of his own unworthiness, which comes from the awareness of the greatness, holiness and omnipotence of God, and this, in turn, compels the Christian to seek help from God, the Giver of all blessings and perfections, with even greater zeal. It is in this sense that St. Tikhon calls prayer "an intercessor of all good things" (4:40). Thus, prayer in itself expresses the desire of the performer for holiness and perfection. From this we can point out another meaning of prayer: it is a kind of indicator of the level of spiritual life of a Christian, a mirror of his religious and moral state. If a Christian has a desire to pray, it means that he also has a desire for a holy, perfect life, and if there is no such desire, there is no desire for moral renewal and a God-pleasing life.

In addition, fervent prayer is the primary means of understanding and studying the word of God contained in the Holy Scriptures of the Old and New Testaments. The Holy Scriptures contain the highest truths of Divine wisdom, which the limited and sin-darkened human mind is unable to comprehend. And whoever tries to comprehend the mysteries of the Divine economy with his own mind, as a rule, deviates to the path of false teachings. Therefore, a Christian who wants to understand the true meaning of the Divine Scriptures must "pray fervently to the Giver of wisdom, God" (2:18).

Prayer is also a powerful weapon in the struggle of a Christian with the spirits of evil. Always and everywhere he must be ready to repel every enemy pretext with prayer (3:444).

The heart of a Christian who converses with God in prayer is filled with the desire to distance himself from everything sinful and ungodly; In his soul there is maintained and strengthened a salvific zeal for a decisive struggle with sin and passions (1:191). During prayer, the heart of a Christian is freed from the bonds of earthly attachments and base desires. This factor is decisive in the struggle against sinful inclinations. Every sin, every impure passion arises, grows, and strengthens in man to the extent that he is attached to the flesh, the world, and the devil. But whoever performs a true and God-pleasing prayer not only dissolves the union with the source of sin, but also eliminates the possibility of further development of passions in his soul. That is why, even after praying, a person must maintain a prayerful mood in his soul and avoid ungodly deeds, sinful thoughts and desires. Following this path, a Christian acquires a special sensitivity to any sinful movement or pretext that constantly arises in the soul or is instilled from without. Prayer, therefore, protects the Christian from sinful inclinations, and in the event of a fall it is the best means for his healing (4:115).

The life path of a person on earth is difficult and thorny. Bodily illnesses, the death of loved ones, undeserved insults and oppressions, sudden disasters and various kinds of misfortunes weigh heavily on the shoulders of every person. On this thorny path, prayer is the best joy and consolation. Uniting man with the heavenly world, it convinces him of the Lord's immutable fatherly love for him, delights the heart with faith in the all-good Providence of God. And in the sorrows and sufferings that have come upon a person, prayer, in the best possible way, contributes to the cessation of hopeless anguish, despondency and sorrow, encourages the soul of a person, and encourages him to worthily bear the cross of life (2:325). In any trials of life, prayer teaches us to see the good sides in them, develops patience, courage, and devotion to the will of God. In addition, turning to God in prayer not only gives consolation in sorrows and trials, but often saves from troubles and even from death (1:191).

It is absolutely impossible to give an exhaustive answer about the significance of prayer in the matter of building the Kingdom of Heaven in the soul of a Christian. This remarkable virtue not only attracts saving grace into the soul of a Christian, but also unites him with God.

As great and priceless as the fruits of prayer are for a Christian, so pernicious is it for him to be weakened in prayer and neglect of it. Any good deed and undertaking that is not sanctified by prayer, i.e. not done for the sake of Christ, does not benefit a Christian in the matter of salvation. "Without diligent prayer," writes St. Tikhon of Zadonsk, "all diligence is in vain" (3:122). The soul of a Christian experiences special harm from abandoning prayer, when it is constantly occupied only with earthly cares and worldly cares.

In this case, it is afflicted with passions, darkened, loses the desire for a holy, God-pleasing life, and is likened to a bird that has no wings, or to a warrior who is in war without weapons (5: 167). And if in the soul of a Christian there appears a constant coldness, an aversion to the prayerful feat, then this is always a sure sign of spiritual weakness and illness. The one who abandons prayer is no longer a soldier of Christ and voluntarily yields victory to bodiless enemies in the invisible spiritual battle (4:51). The spiritual disorder of a Christian, resulting from neglect of prayer, can turn into an irreversible process leading to the spiritual death of a Christian, for after negligence about prayer, as a rule, there is an impoverishment of faith and its gradual extinction. A person loses the fear of God, begins to lead a vicious life, becomes corrupt, falls into despair because of a multitude of sins, and, finally, takes the path of obvious destruction (2:325).