The Purpose of prayer is a hard topic to learn and explain. However, there are fiver major reasons to pray that I will bring up today.
People often think that since God is omniscient (all knowing) he already knows our needs, so why do we need to pray? Well, to help illustrate our first reason: Imagine a huge building filled with thousands of rooms. Inside those rooms are all the good possibilities for your future—job opportunities, provision of every kind, guidance, and wisdom to make right decisions. The problem is that all of these doors are locked and you can’t get in. But let's imagine someone puts a supernatural key in your hand that will open every door. You can choose to use the key or not use it. If you don’t use the key, the doors won’t open for you. That’s a picture of how prayer works. God won’t automatically do everything for us. Instead, He has given us a key to use, which is prayer. Prayer is a privilege God gives us where He lets us participate in His will being accomplished on earth. However, if we don’t use this key that God has given us, the door will remained closed for some of God’s blessings. This brings me to Reason Number One, that some things wont happen unless we ask God.
James 4:2 tells us “you do not have because you do not ask.” In other words, if we don’t use the key the door won’t open. God can change our circumstances if we will use the key and call out to Him for help. Sennacherib, the king of Assyria, was threatening to conquer Jerusalem. King Hezekiah knew he would be defeated unless God stopped Sennacherib. Hezekiah prayed that God would deliver Jerusalem from the Assyrian army. God answered him, “Because you have prayed to Me about Sennacherib king of Assyria, I have heard you” in 2 Kings 19:20. God came to his rescue because he prayed. If King Hezekiah hadn’t prayed Jerusalem would have been destroyed. Prayer brought something to pass on earth that would not have happened if he hadn’t prayed. Prayer can make a difference in what happens in your life. Are you asking Him for help and guidance? Don’t give up. Keep praying and don’t lose heart. God has placed in your hand the key, but it’s up to you to put it in the doorknob.
Prayer also shows God how desperately we want something, which is reason number two. James 5:16 reads “The effectual fervent (desperate) prayer of a righteous person avails much” When we pray out of desperation we touch God’s heart and catch His ear. Our prayers show Him how desperately we want something. As Jesus passed through Jericho, two blind men sitting by the road cried out, “Lord, have mercy on us!” in Matthew 20:30. Even though a huge crowd surrounded Him, Jesus stopped when heard their cries for help. He then answered their request and healed them. Did he already know these people needed help? Of course! But their cries showed Jesus that they had faith in him. On another occasion, a woman who had a hemorrhage for 12 years touched the hem of His garment. While a large crowd was touching Him, Jesus felt power leave Him and she was healed. What was different about her touch than the others touching Him? She was desperate for a miracle.
But prayer isn't all about us getting something from God. Although, the third reason for us to pray certainly benefits us. The third reason to pray is that Prayer is how we develop a relationship with God. What if prayer didn’t exist? Suppose God didn’t provide any way for us to contact Him. The Lord announces, “There’s no such thing as prayer. You cannot talk to Me and I won’t talk to you. I will not intervene in your affairs. If you want help you're on your own!” You would literally not have a prayer. The good news is God does want us to pray so we can get to know Him in a better way. Prayer is connecting our heart to God’s. Prayer isn’t measured by how many words we say or by how often we pray or by how hard we say the words out loud or in our heads, prayer is having a heart-to-talk with God, letting Him know what’s on our heart. Psalm 62:8 tells us to “Pour out your heart before Him.”. Our closeness to God can be measured by how much we talk to Him when we’re not at church. James 4:8 says, “Draw near to God and He will draw near to you.” “Drawing near” isn’t referring to a physical distance because God is inside us. It’s talking about drawing nearer in our hearts. A husband and wife can be standing next to each other but their hearts can be miles apart. That can happen with God, too. The Pharisees honored God with their lips, but their hearts were far away. They missed the primary purpose of prayer—to develop a relationship with God. Prayer is like talking on a phone, which also means listening. Some people do all the talking and never listen. I think we all have that friend who tends to talk really fast, never giving you a chance to say anything to the point that the only words you seem to get in are “I have to go now.” Sometimes we also do that with God. We talk and talk and never listen. It’s a monologue instead of a dialog. And while God may not speak to you in plain English (although this can happen, trust me), he can certainly get his message across if you let him.
The fourth reason to pray is that prayer is the way we release our burdens to God.
In Philippians 4:6-7 it reads “Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all comprehension, shall guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” Sheep are not designed to carry burdens. You’ve heard of “pack mules” but you’ve never hear of “pack sheep” have you? God didn’t design us to carry burdens on our souls. When we pray correctly, we transfer our burdens and problems into the Father’s hands. If you are still burdened down after you have prayed, you never let go of your problems! When we’ve truly prayed, we’ve released our concerns into the Lord’s hands and we let Him carry the load. It's the same way with confession. When we pray to God for forgiveness and repent, we are truly forgiven! Jesus already payed for our sins on the cross, if we just accept his gift of forgiveness.
The fifth reason to pray is this: When we pray God intervenes in other people’s lives and changes them. Have you ever wondered why Jesus told us to “pray for those who mistreat you” in Luke 6:28? Let’s think about that. He told us to pray for our enemies because our prayer releases the Holy Spirit to convict them of their sins and bring them to repentance. Remember, some things will not happen unless we pray. We don’t typically like to pray for those who mistreat us, but if we will pray for the Holy Spirit to convict them we might see some surprising results. James 5:16 reads, “Pray for one another that you may be healed.” It doesn’t say to pray for yourself to be healed (although there is nothing wrong with that) but to pray for others. God wants to work through the prayers of others to help us. Our prayers are part of the reason others are healed mentally and physically—and also in them being saved. As we are taught in John 16 Only the Holy Spirit can convict us of sin, righteousness, and judgment. When we pray for a lost person to be saved, the Holy Spirit begins to pull on that person’s heart where it becomes easier to surrender to Him than continue in rebellion.
So in review the five reasons to pray are as follows:
some things wont happen unless we ask God
Prayer shows God how desperately we want something
Prayer is how we develop a relationship with God
Prayer is how we release our burdens to God
When we pray God intervenes in other people's lives and changes them.
I hope this inspires you to talk with God through prayer. It is a wonderful gift that God has given us. One that, when used, results in peace, joy, and confidence. Prayer isn't just something to check off Christian Checklist. It is not something we have to do to be a Christian (in fact the only thing we have to do is accept Christ's gift), it is something we get to do. Whenever you are stressed or overwhelmed or sad or feeling guilty, give it to God! Listen to what he has to say and devote yourself to his love. Thank you.
Sources:
-cloversites.com Kent
-Biblegateway.com
-focusonthefamily.com
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