Why Do We Pray?

I get these random questions that float through my brain sometimes. “Why do we pray?” Another one recently was “What is prayer?” Well, I knew the most basic answers, so I did what any good journalist would do: I went digging.

Well, you can Google search pretty much any topic and come up with literally thousands and thousands of answers. But to the surprise of nobody, I found the best answer in God’s Word. I’ve been spending time in the Old Testament recently, and my Full Life Study Bible has just about the best explanation of prayer, what it is, and why it’s important that I’ve come across in a long time.

Most of the following is from the Study Bible’s article on Effective Praying.

Prayer refers to the communication of believers with the Lord. The activity is described as calling on God (Psalms 17:6), calling on the name of the Lord (Genesis 4:26), crying aloud to the Lord, lifting up one’s soul to the Lord, seeking the Lord, approaching the throne of grace with confidence (Hebrews 14:6), and drawing near to God (Hebrews 10:22).

So why do we pray? What are the reasons for this thing called prayer? There are several clear reasons outlined in the Word.

First and foremost, believers are commanded to pray. The command to pray comes from the Psalmists, prophets (Isaiah 55:6), apostles, and the Lord Jesus Himself (Matthew 26:41). God desires our fellowship, and by prayer, we maintain that relationship with Him.

Think about it this way. One of the ways we maintain relationships on Earth is by talking and spending time together, right? God isn’t any different in that respect. A relationship means spending time together.

Prayer is also a necessary link to receiving God’s blessings and power, and the fulfillment of His promises. The Apostle Paul frequently requested prayers on his behalf, knowing that his work would not be as successful if Christians weren’t praying for him.

Along those same lines, in the plan of salvation for humankind, God has ordained that believers can be co-workers with Him in the redemption process. There are many things that won’t be accomplished without the intercessory prayers of believers. Intercessory means going before God on behalf of others.

For example, God desires to send workers out into the Gospel harvest. Jesus taught that this would only be accomplished through the prayers of His people. Jesus speaking: “Ask the Lord of the harvest to send out workers into His harvest field.” (Matthew 9.38) In other words, God will release His power to accomplish many things through the prayers of His people. What a privilege.

What are the conditions for Effective Prayer?

Several conditions must be met for prayers to be effective. The first is that our prayers will not be answered without a sincere faith. Remember the father of the demon-possessed boy? Jesus told him, “Everything is possible for Him who believes.” Remember what the man’s answer was to that statement? “I believe! Help my unbelief!” Oh, how many times I’ve said that exact same thing in prayer.

James, one of my favorite books in the Bible, encourages us when we ask in prayer to “believe and not doubt.” (James 1:6)

Prayer must also be made in the name of Jesus. He expressed this principle when He said, “And I will do whatever you ask in my name, so that the Son may bring glory to the Father. You may ask me for anything in my name, and I will do it.”

But please remember, that’s not a blank check for anything you want. If you’re praying for something that’s not in harmony with the person, character, and will of the Lord, guess what? It’s not going to happen.

Look at it this way. Would a responsible parent give their children anything they want? No responsible parent would give something to their kids they know will cause them harm, right? God is no different. Like the song says, “He’s a Good, Good Father.”

Prayer will only be effective if it’s made according to God’s will. “This is the confidence we have in approaching God, that if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us.” (1 John 5:14) Remember, we can know a lot about the will of God because it’s revealed in the Bible.

Not only must we pray according to God’s will, but we must also be IN God’s will. That’s if we expect Him to hear and answer us. God will give us the things we ask for only if we are seeking Him first. “Seek first His Kingdom and righteousness.” First being the key word.

Start your day with the Word. Study a chapter every morning. Do some devotions. The YouVersion Bible App on my phone has a large number of devotions covering numerous topics. Pray. Talk to God as you prep for your day.

When James said the prayers of the righteous are effective, he meant both a person who has been made right in the sight of God through faith in Jesus Christ, but also one who is living a righteous, God-fearing, and obedient life. It matters how you live. The Lord will not honor you when you’re living in sin.

Finally, for prayer to be effective, it must be consistent. The great thing about prayer is that you can do it anywhere. Out loud or inward. On your knees by your bed or in the shower. In the car or on a walk. Just talk to Him.

I’m a dad who LOVES to hear from his kids. Just think about how much more your Heavenly Father longs to hear from His kids, too?

Here's more on prayer from GotQuestions.org.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ieVDl58QQhA