this God who says he loves us? The solution is prayer. Will Davis, author of Pray Big, writes: Prayer brings you closer to God, and you’ll need all the intimacy with God you can get when the storms break out. I’m sure this is partly why Paul encouraged us to “pray without ceasing” (1 Thess. 5:17 NASB). He knew firsthand the importance of storing up spiritual intimacy for those difficult times of suffering that would drain him dry. Paul . . . kept his intimacy with God intact throughout his trials