Hello Biodun, your question is worthwhile, and your confusion is valid. 

It is very valid as a matter of fact, and actually, we have a portion in this introductory part of the course where we are going to be talking about prayer and meditation, and it is something that we need to understand as a generation because this subject of prayer—even though many people talk about prayer a lot, it is quite clear that many people don’t understand what prayer is.

And even though everyone is doing it—praying in the Holy Ghost—if you ask most people what they are doing, they say, “I don’t know.” There is a general confusion when it comes to prayer. 

“Why am I praying long”?
“Why am I praying short”?
“Why am I always praying”?
“Why am I shouting”?
What’s this? What’s that? And so on...

All prayers are not the same. Fundamentally, when we talk about prayer, the word prayer is a legal terminology. It is what a lawyer says when he or she wants to procure something from the judge. And he says to the judge, “I pray that you grant my appeal” and “I pray that you...”. It is a request.

So, when we talk about the word “pray," we are talking about asking someone for something. But there is so much more to engaging God for something than asking him for something.

For example, when we pray long—one hour, two hours—we are not praying long for God to hear us. For instance, you begin to pray, “Oh God, change my story, change my story." The first time you say it, God has already heard you and received your prayer. But you see, it is one thing to ask God for something; it is another thing for you to have the container to receive what you have asked for. Those two hours you are spending in prayer, repeating those words, you are not doing so for God to hear you, but to lift your consciousness to a level where you can receive what you are asking God for. 

Sometimes, it won’t happen in one day because you are saying God change my story; look at my family and this and that, but after you’ve prayed, you still go back to the mindset of:

“How can it be better for me?”
“My father and I didn’t go to school.”
“My mother is poor.”
“All my brothers and sisters, once they made money, they went back to poverty.” 

That mindset itself can never be a vessel for receiving what you are asking for. So, what we are calling long prayer is not us trying to get God to hear us; it is us trying to lift the frequency of our consciousness to a realm where we can connect with him and receive what we need from him. 

Even in warfare prayer, you don’t pray “I bind you in the name of Jesus," “Get out,” or words like that to chase the demon away. A demon is present because you and that demon have common ground. The Bible teaches that when Jesus enters a room where demons were, they will say, “Son of man, what do we have in common?” Because there was no common ground between the demons and Jesus, they screamed because there was no relationship. 

So, if a demon can flog you, collect your money, and take your job, it is because there is a common ground between you and that spirit. Whether the common ground is lust, anger, or greed, all these characteristics are properties of demonic realms. And so far we have those properties in us; those realms have a claim in our lives. It doesn’t matter what we believe, my friends. 

We like to quote a lot of scriptures at this time: “Oh! By the stripes of Jesus..."  yet, see what is happening in your life. Either the Bible is a lie or there is a misunderstanding somewhere because it is possible to be a born-again believer yet suffer a lot of afflictions. After all, there are areas of their hearts that are still subjected to foul spirits. 

It is part of these reasons that we are praying not for God to hear us but for our consciousness to be lifted, and it goes beyond the prayer, even to the actions we begin to carry out on a day-to-day basis. 

In summary, prayer is not just us asking God for something, prayer is also us entering into the heart posture and frequency where we can receive what we are asking for. Even if you are praying, “God show me the vision for my life” or “Tell me who my wife is going to be,” what if the wife you are supposed to marry is too carnal to see who she is? So you need to pray. Yes! You need to pray for some time for your consciousness to be lifted so that you can perceive the one that God has prepared for you. 

That is why we pray long. Not just in one day but over a period of time. Not for God to hear you, but for your mind to change. I will say this as an introduction; when we get there in the course, we will talk more about it. The Lord is on your side.