Why Do We Pray?

Thought Questions:

*What is prayer?

*Why do I pray?

*How do I pray?

*When do I pray?

         

          Recently, I have had several situations occur that have brought the four above questions to my mind.  Every day we come across people in our lives that need our intercession.  You know we don’t just pray for ourselves.  But, even when we are praying for our own personal needs the above questions really matter.

          What is prayer?  The American Tract Society Bible Dictionary defines prayer as being, “the offering of the emotions and desires of the soul to God, in the name and through the mediation of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.”  Isn’t that beautiful? The offering of the emotions and desires of our souls to God.  I don’t know about you, but I know my soul desires many things.  Some good, some pretty selfish, some not in the will of God.  The definition goes on to say, “It is the communion of the heart with God through the aid of the Holy Spirit, and is to the Christian the very life of the soul.” Prayer is the very life of my soul; it is the very life of your soul, too. I take from that, which without prayer our souls start to wither away to nothingness.  How can we be of God and be Spirit-filled if we are neglecting the very water that nourishes our thirsty souls?  Prayer is mandatory.  Prayer is necessary, Prayer is LIFE-GIVING.

Why do I pray? So often, I catch myself internally asking God, why do I pray?  It is kind of funny, because here I am praying to God asking him, “Why do I pray?”  Obviously, I am praying to Him for a reason, or I wouldn’t be asking him to answer my questions.  Why do we pray?  Psalm 34:6(NLT) touches on this quite nicely.  “In my desperation I prayed, and the LORD listened; he saved me from all my troubles.”   King David was a man of prayer.  He knew that his God heard his cries.  He knew that prayer worked.  All through the Psalms you read of David praying to God.  You see him worshipping his Father in Heaven.  When you read on in Psalm 34, verses 17-20 read:

“The righteous cry out, and the LORD hears them;

He delivers them from all their troubles.

The LORD is close to the brokenhearted

And saves those who are crushed in spirit.

A righteous man may have many troubles,

But the LORD delivers him from them all;

He protects all his bones,

Not one will be broken.”

          That’s my God.  He hears me cry out to Him.  He is with me when my heart is broken.  He is holding me when my spirits are crushed.  He will protect me from harm.  That alone is enough reason to pray.  God never leaves you.  He is always with you.  He is faithful, understanding, loving, and merciful.  He listens and he responds.  He is faithful to protect us from ourselves.  Why do I pray?  I pray because my life depends on it.  Without prayer, I would be missing some of the most important conversations in my life. 

          How do I pray?  I used to spend a lot of time worrying about how to pray.  If I could have bought a book of Praying for Dummies, I would have.  I felt so lost and awkward.  For I while, I even caught myself stuttering.  I was so nervous and made such a big deal on something quite simple.  Jesus was asked by the disciples, in Luke 11, to teach them how to pray.  He told them, “When you pray, say:

“Father

 Hallowed be your name,

                                   Your kingdom come.                             

              Give us each day our daily bread.        

                           Forgive us our sins                            

For we also forgive everyone who sins against us.

And lead us not into temptation.

(Luke 11:2-4 Life Application Study Bible NIV)          

Praise God! Remember that each day God provides for us and thank him for that.  Forgive anyone you are upset with or feel has wronged you.  Be faithful.  Remember that even when circumstances are dark that God is in control.  When all else fails, pray in the Spirit.  Let the Spirit talk for you. 

                                                                                                        

When do I pray?  Don’t ever stop.  You can pray all day long.  Prayer is not just a laundry list of what you want God to change in your life.  It is an ongoing conversation with the Lord.  One of the men at church was telling a story about his wife the other night.  He said that she had a habit of praying while she drove.  So one day it she was praying and she got really into her prayer and he said he turned to her and said, “I really hope you aren’t praying with your eyes closed!”  It’s funny to hear stories like that, but the reality is that God wants to commune with us.  We don’t have to be formal with God.  He knows our hearts.  He is our Father, He sees past all the formality and the bluster and knows what you are going to say before you say it.  Get real with God.  Be yourself.  Talk to Him.  Wherever, whenever and as much as you can! 

Love in Christ,Kristine