Why Pray?

God knows everything. He knows your thoughts. He knows the future; in fact, He has the future planned in perfect detail and His plans can’t be derailed by anyone or anything. All of which makes you wonder; what’s the point of praying?

It’s beyond our ability to understand God’s ways completely. I’m sure there’s more to it, but I can give you three good reasons to pray and to keep praying even if there’s no apparent response to your prayers.

1: Praying Is Good For You

Praying is good for you: it’s a tonic for your soul.

Praying calls for focus and concentration. It disciplines your mind. It develops good mental habits: thoughts that are focused on God and attitudes of dependence, love and worship.

Praying brings God into your thinking about your problems so that thankfulness and praise replace worry and joy is restored.

Praying keeps your communion with God fresh. It develops awareness of Him so that you live as one who is constantly in God’s presence.

Praying for others strengthens your commitment to them. Praying with others we stir one another to worship.

Prayer strengthens you for battle. We’re told to put on the armour of God…

“…praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, being watchful to this end with all perseverance and supplication for all the saints.”

Ephesians 6:18 – 19

But beyond all that, God uses prayer to promote your growth. Here’s how it works. It begins when God puts you in particular circumstances and plants desires within you. He then requires you to pray and to keep praying until you see answers. If those answers are slow to come, as they often are, you will inevitably begin to ask questions. Questions like: “Are my desires godly desires? If they’re not, where did they come from?” “Why would God not respond to my prayer in the way I want Him to?” Those questions will drive you back, time and again, to God’s word to search for answers. You will probably be forced to rethink things and, over time, you will change. Your understanding will increase. You will come to see the world and world events in a different perspective. More and more, God’s purposes will become your purposes: His goals your goals. Your desires will change. The things that are important and that give you pleasure will change.

If you persevere in prayer it will drive you to deeper knowledge of God Himself: His ways and His purposes. You will come to have more of a feel for the mind of God. You will come to see the world around you more as He sees it. You will better be able to discern what pleases Him and what doesn’t and what will glorify Him and what won’t.

Prayer is good for you.

2: Prayer Pleases God

Prayer pleases God. He takes pleasure in communion with His people.

"Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and dine with him, and he with Me.”

Revelation 3:20

And how else is that communion to be maintained on our side, if not by prayer? But prayer also pleases God because it brings glory to Him.

"Whatever you ask in My name, that I will do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son.”

John 14:14

3: God Commands You to Pray

God commands you to pray, and if there were no other reason to do it that should be reason enough.

"Asking is the rule of the kingdom"

C H Spurgeon

Our need is great. We need a continuous supply of God’s grace: forgiving grace, keeping grace, providing grace, grace to serve. The list is endless and our need insatiable. When God supplies out of the riches of His grace, like a man who has had a good meal we soon get hungry for more.

There is no lack with God. He is generous and loves to do good. He wants to be known in the world as a gracious God. This day of grace is spending time.

But God commands you to ask. So be aggressive in your asking: ask big. He has established asking as the way for your needs to be met. Not to pray is an insult to God. Not to pray is sin. Not to pray is the reason you lack many things.

“Yet you do not have because you do not ask.”

James 4:2

Praying is good for you. It pleases God. Ultimately pray because God has commanded you to. Your all-knowing, all-powerful God has chosen to work through your prayers. Take Him at His word. If you don’t understand why you should pray, pray anyway. Pray because you trust Him. Pray like you do trust Him.