Have you ever wondered why we pray?
Sometimes it seems like no one is listening...besides God already knows what we want and he already knows what he is going to do…
So, why do we pray…
1. God's Word Commands Us to Pray!
Like it or not… If we are to be obedient to His will, then prayer must be part of our life in Him.
"Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer." –Romans 12:12
"Devote yourselves to prayer, being watchful and thankful." –Colossians 4:2
"Pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances: for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus" -1 Thessalonians 5:17-18
"I urge, then, first of all, that requests, prayers, intercession and thanksgiving be made for everyone …" -1 Timothy 2:1
"And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests." –Ephesians 6:18 (after we put on the full Armor of God).
Jesus challenged us to not just pray for our loved ones but to even...
"Pray for those who persecute you" –Matthew 5:44 (NIV)
2. Jesus Prayed Regularly
If there ever was a human that didn’t need to pray, you’d think that it would be him. He was God in the flesh. However, scripture tells us that Jesus, our example for all things spiritual, prayed regularly
"After he had dismissed them, he went up on a mountainside by himself to pray." –Matthew 14:23
"Very early in the morning, while it was still dark, Jesus got up, left the house and went off to a solitary place, where he prayed." –Mark 1:35
"But Jesus often withdrew to lonely places and prayed." –Luke 5:16
"One of those days Jesus went out to a mountainside to pray, and spent the night praying to God." –Luke 6:12
"Then Jesus told his disciples a parable to show them that they should always pray and not give up." –Luke 18:1
"Then Jesus went with his disciples to a place called Gethsemane, and he said to them, 'Sit here while I go over there and pray.'" –Matthew 26:36
3. Prayer Provides a Remedy for Helplessness
God is his goodness and foreknowledge knew that there would be times when there would be disturbing circumstances beyond our control. There would be times when there would be nothing we could do to “fix” some negative aspect of living on a fallen planet. He also knew that “helplessness” is one of the worst emotions we experience. So, in his loving-kindness, he gave us a remedy. He gave us prayer and promised to answer prayer. As we know, that doesn’t ALWAYS mean we always get what we want. Some things are predestined by God, while others are not. The ones that are not are the ones that we can indeed influence through prayer.
“Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective…” James 5:1 6
“And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose.”
Information from this post was gathered from Robert Velarde's article (published by Focus on the Family).
Written By Joe Rinella