What is prayer?

I've been learning a lot about prayer... Lately my life has been a bit 'turbulent', I have been pretty up and down, and a lot has been happening both in me personally and in the people around me. There has been a lot of pain surrounding me - family members and friends both going through some tough times.

How do I pray for these guys? Intercession... feeling their pain... lets be honest, it hurts. We dont like to hurt - I dont like to hurt. But to pray for these guys, the guys I love, that I'm close to, that I spend my time with... praying effectively for them means hurting for them. Feeling their pain. It means I have to be vulnerable and open and allow God to work through me to move in their lives... I have to be willing to feel their pain.

And that's tough.