Blog ask for forgiveness, conversation with God, Faith, forgiveness, god, jesus, praise, prayer, repent
0
Why do we pray?
Why do we pray?
“Is anyone among you in trouble? Let them pray. Is anyone happy? Let them sing songs of praise.” – James 5:13
Prayer is a wonderful gift from God. The fact that we, rebellious as we are, can come before the God of the universe and talk to Him whenever we want is amazing. We have a great many reasons to do so.
1. We Need
You and I have a lot of needs. We need food, shelter, love, forgiveness, and many other things. God is the giver of all good gifts. So, when we need something, it’s natural to go to our loving provider to ask for what we need.
“If you, then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him!” – Matthew 7:11
We are like children, needing a lot of help in life. God is our father who loves to give us what we need.
2. We Are Thankful
My son is two. As soon as we pull into the Publix parking lot he recognizes it and starts saying, “Cookie?” Publix may be a lot of things, but to him, it’s the place where he gets a cookie…and maybe popcorn chicken.
One of the first things we do when we get in the store is to go to the bakery and get a cookie. When the Publix person hands him the cookie he also knows that he’ll hear something from mom or dad, “What do you say?” We’ve said it enough times that most of the time, now, he just says, “Thank you,” without having to be prompted.
God does give us all that we need. He has given us life and salvation, daily bread, protection, the church, and so much more. As the one who is the giver of all good things, our right response is to say, “Thank you.”
3. We Are Commanded To
Throughout the Bible, God tells us to pray. He knows that we need it. We tend to think of prayer as something we do to get God’s attention or let Him know what we need. However, we already have God’s attention and He already knows what we need. Yet, He still commands us to pray.
The very nature of prayer shows us that we need God. I don’t ask my neighbor to help me tie my shoes. Why? Because I don’t need his help to tie my shoes. I do, however, ask God a lot of things both for me and for others. Why? Because I need His help. I need God.
In Luke 18, Jesus tells a parable about a Pharisee and a tax collector praying in the temple. Jesus praised the tax collector who prayed humbly and rebuked the Pharisee for His pride. When we pray, at least when we pray properly, we are reminded of our utter dependence on God. It humbles us. We remember that we are the creation and God is our creator.
4. We Are Sinful
We sin. We do it a lot. So, we need forgiveness. Thankfully, we have a God who loves to forgive. Sometimes, like Adam and Eve in the garden, we may feel like hiding our sin, but God wants us to come to Him with our sin so we can hear the assurance of our forgiveness.
He also wants us to come to Him when we feel the temptation to sin that we would be strengthened against that temptation and would escape it.
“No temptation has overtaken you except what is common to mankind. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can endure it.” – 1 Corinthians 10:13
5. We Love God
Every now and then I have to go on a trip out of town whether for business or taking a class at the seminary. When I do, there’s one thing I do no matter where I go. Right around 6 pm or 7 pm, I call home. I haven’t had a chance to talk to my wife or kids all day.
It feels strange. I want to talk to them because I love them. I want to share my day with them. In fact, most days things will happen during the day and my first instinct is to want to share it with Melissa or one of the kids.
Communication is important in any relationship, including our relationship with God. Like my desire to share my day with my family, God wants us to share our days with Him. While sometimes we have to be away from our loved ones, God is always there with us. We can always talk to Him.
There are a lot of reasons to pray. How wonderful it is that we can pray and that we can do it any time, anywhere.
Heavenly Father,
Thank you for hearing me. Thank you for all the ways You provide for me. Move in me by Your Spirit to draw me to pray every day, throughout the day.
Amen
In Christ’s Service,
Pastor Kurt
