Reasons to Pray

…Why would you want to do this? Perhaps some important event has happened, such as a surgery for your friend, but you do not know the outcome yet. It makes a difference to know that God hears and has heard your prayer from eternity past. Scripture may not tell us directly that prayer can affect the past, but it describes a God who is free to act in response to his creatures in any way he wishes. It makes a difference for us to know that God transcends time and that nothing restricts his knowledge, power, or sovereignty. We cry out to a God who hears and knows us fully (Psalm 139:1-4,15-16) and who has the power to answer us.

It makes a difference for us to know that prayer is powerful (see James 5:16, “the prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective). One of the trademark phrase of the pastor at our old church was “much prayer, much power; little prayer, little power; no prayer, no power.” I fully believe this – prayer is a powerful and effective method that God uses to act in history through his people. Through prayer we can move the very hand of God – we can heal broken lives and bring hope to the poor and oppressed – we can do something to make a difference in Pakistan and Sudan and India. Through prayer we are drawn into God’s story in a more significant way; the role played by God children is expanded, and this glorifies God all the more. Both Christ and the Spirit intercede for us before the Father (Romans 8:26,33), who knows our every thought and need and is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine (Ephesians 3:20). Because of God’s character, we know that he will do what is right (Genesis 18:25).

Lastly, it is important to remember that we are commanded to pray in Scripture, and that prayer is assumed to be part of our lives as Christians (Proverbs 15:8,29, Matthew 6:5-13, Romans 12:12, Ephesians 6:18, Colossians 4:2, 1 Thessalonians 5:17). This is reason enough to seek God in prayer. Furthermore, prayer is not only a means for us to change the world, but a way in which God changes us. As we seek to know God by speaking to him in prayer, he reveals himself to us more and more. Just as we grow closer to any person by talking to them, so we grow to know God by seeking him in prayer, and thus we become more like him and more who we were meant to be – the image bearers and children of God.