Why pray?

Have you ever wondered “why pray?” I {Vickibeth} have. God doesn’t verbally respond. We don’t always see the answer immediately. What’s the point? I began a search to find the answer in His Word. What does the Bible say about prayer and how does that apply to me?

This is what I found:

It is life changing. 
Jeremiah 33:3 - Call unto me, and I will answer thee, and shew thee great and mighty things, which thou knowest not.

What an incredible promise! God doesn’t say, “pray, and I’ll think about communicating with you.” He says, “I’ve got big things (great and mighty!) to show you.” We receive empty promises from all over our lives; we are disappointed often, but we have a Savior who can’t disappoint!

It protects us from sin.
Matthew 26:41 - Watch and pray, that ye enter not into temptation: the spirit indeed [is] willing, but the flesh [is] weak.

Let’s be honest. Temptations are constantly around us. It often seems like sin is just unavoidable in today’s world, but I would submit to you that it is our lack of communicating with God that causes us to stumble. If our talks with God were a consistent part of our life, it would remove a lot of temptation because we would be viewing our actions through His eyes if our hearts were in tune with Him.

It builds our faith.
Mark 11:24 - Therefore I say unto you, What things soever ye desire, when ye pray, believe that ye receive [them], and ye shall have [them].

God answers prayer. He isn’t a genie who gives us everything we want, but He always answers. Sometimes with a “no,” sometimes a “yes,” and often with a “not right now,” but He always hears and answers our prayers. As we see God answer our prayers, our faith is strengthened; our trust grows, and we will find ourselves seeking communication with Him more and more because our faith is growing and becoming more real.

It is how we communicate with God.
Romans 8:26 - Likewise the Spirit also helpeth our infirmities: for we know not what we should pray for as we ought: but the Spirit itself maketh intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered.

 Unlike select believers in the Bible, or those that lived during Christ’s earthly ministry, we cannot physically see or hear from God. Prayer is our communication to Him. The Holy Spirit and reading the Bible is how He communicates back to us. A relationship without communication is really not much of a relationship. I can’t imagine if my honey never spoke to me. We’d have a pretty surface-level, boring marriage. Similarly, our relationship with our Savior is empty without communication.

It matters.
James 5:16 - Confess [your] faults one to another, and pray one for another, that ye may be healed. The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much.

I have been guilty of saying, “Well, God knows my thoughts, so I don’t really need to verbalize those thoughts to Him.” Yes, that’s absolutely true, but I “talk to God through thoughts” all day. I can’t pray out loud at work most of the time, but I communicate with Him throughout the day. I’m sure you’ve heard the example many times that a parent often knows what their child needs and wants, but it’s nice to hear the child ask and communicate with the parent. I believe God feels the same way. Yes, he knows what we think, but I believe he delights in hearing us communicate those thoughts to him mentally or verbally.

It is commanded.
Matthew 6:6 - But thou, when thou prayest, enter into thy closet, and when thou hast shut thy door, pray to thy Father which is in secret; and thy Father which seeth in secret shall reward thee openly.
Ephesians 6:18 - Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints;
1 Thessalonians 5:17 - Pray without ceasing.

 This one is pretty self-explanatory! The Bible commands us to pray, and to pray always. While it is a Biblical command, I believe we benefit so much in our relationship with Him when we pray! A constant attitude of prayer is such an important habit to develop!

It is personal.
Matthew 6:7 - But when ye pray, use not vain repetitions, as the heathen [do]: for they think that they shall be heard for their much speaking.

 As women we are constantly seeking personal relationships, right? We want to love and feel loved. We desire closeness. Prayer is our personal avenue to develop our relationship with God. Noone else can pray to God for you. This is where many religions today are missing truth. We don’t need a man to intercede to God on our behalf; no, we have the personal opportunity to speak to God on our own, no matter where we are, no matter what we have done. What an incredible gift!

 Prayer is so important, yet it’s often one of the first things to slip from our daily activity list. I know I needed this reminder of how important prayer is for my life. I’m asking God to bring these truths to my mind again and again. I hope these truth are a reminder to you as well, or maybe this is the first time you have heard some of these verses. Whatever situation you find yourself in today, I hope you will remember that prayer is important and powerful, it’s commanded by God, and it can change your life!

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