Connecting with God: The Role of Prayer and Scripture

How Prayer, Scripture, Fasting, and Communion Shape the Christian Life

One of the great strengths of the Wesleyan tradition is its practical understanding of spiritual growth. John Wesley did not believe Christians drift into holiness. Growth in grace requires participation in the means God has given for our transformation.

Among these means are what Wesley called the works of piety: practices such as prayer, searching the Scriptures, fasting, and receiving Holy Communion. These are not religious chores designed to earn God’s favor. They are gifts. They are daily pathways into God’s presence through which the Holy Spirit forms us in love.

For John Wesley, the Christian life was not simply about believing right doctrine. It was about cultivating a living relationship with God through practices that open us to grace.

What Are the Works of Piety?

Wesley divided the means of grace into two broad categories: works of piety and works of mercy.

Works of piety focus primarily on our relationship with God. They include personal and communal prayer, Scripture reading, worship, fasting, and participation in the sacraments.

In his sermon “The Means of Grace,” found in Sermons on Several Occasions, Wesley describes these practices as ordinary channels through which God conveys grace to believers.

The key word is ordinary. God often transforms us not through dramatic experiences but through faithful participation in simple practices repeated over time.

Prayer: Learning to Live in God’s Presence

Prayer is perhaps the most basic work of piety. It is the language of relationship.

Prayer is not primarily about informing God of our needs. Jesus reminds us that the Father already knows what we need before we ask (Matthew 6:8, NIV). Prayer is about communion. It is opening ourselves to God’s presence and aligning our hearts with God’s purposes.

Wesley encouraged regular patterns of prayer because he understood that love grows through attention. Relationships flourish when they are nurtured.

The more we pray, the more we learn to recognize God’s voice, trust God’s promises, and depend upon God’s grace.

Scripture: Hearing the Voice of God

Wesley was a man of one book, not because he read nothing else, but because he viewed Scripture as the primary revelation of God’s saving truth.

The Bible is more than information. It is formation.

Paul writes, “All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness” (2 Timothy 3:16, NIV).

When we read Scripture prayerfully, we encounter the living God. We learn the story of redemption. We discover the character of Christ. We find our hearts reshaped by truth.

Thomas Oden, in Classic Christianity, notes that Scripture functions as the church’s foundational witness to God’s self-revelation. Through it, God continually calls and forms his people.

Fasting: Making Space for Holy Desire

Modern Christians often overlook fasting, but Wesley considered it an essential discipline.

Fasting is not about punishing the body. It is about training the heart.

When we voluntarily abstain from food or other comforts, we discover how dependent we are upon God. Hunger becomes a teacher. It reminds us that our deepest need is not physical satisfaction but communion with God.

Jesus assumed his followers would fast. “When you fast…” he said, not “If you fast…” (Matthew 6:16, NIV).

Fasting creates space. It quiets distractions and helps us recognize desires that may be competing with our devotion to God.

Holy Communion: Grace We Can Taste

Among all the works of piety, Wesley held a special affection for Holy Communion.

He urged Methodists to receive the Lord’s Supper frequently because he believed Christ truly meets believers there. Communion is not merely a memorial. It is a means of grace.

In the bread and cup, we remember Christ’s sacrifice, receive God’s promises, and are nourished for faithful living.

Wesley even referred to Communion as a converting ordinance because he believed God often uses it to awaken faith and deepen assurance.

The table reminds us that grace is not an abstract concept. It is embodied. It is received.

Why These Practices Matter

The works of piety do not earn salvation. They cannot make God love us more. God’s love is already given in Christ.

Instead, these practices help us receive what God longs to give.

Kenneth Collins, in The Theology of John Wesley, emphasizes that sanctification occurs as believers participate in God’s transforming grace. The works of piety place us where that grace is most readily encountered.

Think of them as windows rather than engines. They do not generate the light. They open us to it.

Daily Pathways into God’s Presence

One of Wesley’s most important insights is that holiness is formed through ordinary faithfulness.

Prayer in the morning.
Scripture at the kitchen table.
Fasting in quiet dependence.
Communion at the Lord’s Table.

These simple acts become daily pathways into the presence of God.

Over time, the Spirit uses them to shape our hearts, deepen our love, and conform us to the image of Christ.

A Closing Prayer

Gracious God,
Thank you for the gifts of prayer, Scripture, fasting, and Communion.
Through these means of grace, draw us closer to your heart.
Teach us to seek your presence daily,
to hunger for your truth,
and to receive your love with gratitude.
By your Spirit, form us into the likeness of Jesus Christ.
Amen.