WHY SHOULD WE PRAY?

EPHESIANS 6:17–20

And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the saints

(Eph. 6:18 niv).

We learned yesterday that God answers our prayers according to His will. If this is the case, why should we pray? Won’t God accomplish His purposes whether we pray or not? If God has determined that a certain event will occur, what good is it to pray about it? Won’t it happen anyway?

We could answer these questions by simply saying, we must pray because God tells us to pray. This should be reason enough. God has commanded it, therefore, we are to do it. No questions asked. But, it would be beneficial for us to take a deeper look at this question, for there is more to prayer than fulfilling a duty.

When we ask “what good is prayer?” we are assuming that prayer is primarily supplication. But asking for things is only one part of prayer. When we come before God, we also adore, praise, thank, and worship Him. We confess our sins and seek reconciliation with our Father whom we have offended. Prayer is many things beyond just presenting a list of requests. It is communication with the living God. It is coming into His presence, to seek Him, to enjoy communion with Him, and to love Him.

Prayer is not a means of rousing God from His sleep to answer our questions and grant our requests. It is not for His sake but for ours. Prayer inflames our hearts with an ardent desire to know Him, to love Him, and to confess our dependence upon Him in all things. We learn through prayer to trust Him and to be grateful to Him for the many blessings we have received. As Christians, we are to live every moment of our lives in the presence of God. Prayer, like nothing else, brings us into His glorious presence.

In prayer, we are bringing our whole life under His gaze. He says for us to come to Him, to let our requests be made known, to open ourselves to His scrutiny. In doing this, in communicating with Him, we are drawn into a closer relationship with Him. We are made to be in communion with others. The more we communicate with someone, the better we know them. The same is true of our relationship with God. As you can see, if we see prayer only as supplication, we miss a great deal of what it means to live in the presence of our heavenly Father.

CORAM DEO

Psalm 112–115

1 Corinthians 1

Across the top of a piece of paper, write Adoration & Praise, Confession, Thanksgiving, Supplication. Under each jot down what you want to say to God for today. Be specific. When you ask for something, ask with the desire that God’s will be done in that situation and that He be glorified through your prayers.

For further study: Luke 18:1–8; 22:39–46 • 1 Thess. 5:16–18 • 1 Tim. 2:1–8

wednesday

august