Post by lovelace on Feb 1, 2006 9:39:45 GMT -5
Question: "Why pray? What is the point of prayer when God knows the future and is already in control of everything. If we cannot change God's mind, why should we pray?"
Answer: Why pray?
(1) Prayer is a form of serving God (Luke 2:36-38). We pray because God commands us to pray (Philippians 4:6-7).
(2) Prayer is exemplified for us by Christ and the early church (Mark 1:35; Acts 1:14; 2:42; 3:1; 4:23-31; 6:4; 13:1-3). If Jesus thought it was worthwhile to pray, we should also.
(3) God intends for prayer to be the means of obtaining His solutions in a number of situations:
a) Preparation for major decisions (Luke 6:12-13)
b) Overcoming demonic barriers in lives (Matthew 17:14-21)
c) The gathering of workers for the spiritual harvest (Luke 10:2)
d) The gaining of strength to overcome temptation (Matthew 26:41)
e) The means of strengthening others spiritually (Ephesians 6:18-19)
(4) We have God's promise that our prayers are not in vain, even if we don't get specifically what we asked for (Matthew 6:6; Romans 8:26-27).
(5) He has promised that when we ask for things that are in accordance with His will (we find that in His Word), He will give us what we ask for (1 John 5:14-15).
Sometimes He delays His answers according to His wisdom and for our benefit but urges us to be diligent and persistent in prayer (Matthew 7:7; Luke 18:1-8). Prayer should not be seen as our means of getting God to do our will on earth but rather as a means of getting God's will done on earth. This sounds like a nice, trite phrase, but I am grateful that He works that way. His wisdom far exceeds mine and His love for me and for others far exceeds my own as well.
Also in situations in which we do not know specifically what God's will is in a situation, prayer is a channel of getting what we ask for. If Peter had not asked for Jesus to call for him to come out of the boat and onto the water, he would have missed that opportunity (Matthew 14:28-29). If the Syrian woman with the demon-influenced daughter had not prayed to Christ, her daughter would not have been made whole (Mark 7:26-30). If the blind man outside of Jericho would not have called out to Christ, he would have still been blind (Luke 18:35-43). God has said that often we go without because we do not ask (James 4:2). In one sense, prayer is like sharing the gospel with people. We do not know who will respond to the message of the gospel until we share it. It is the same with prayer: we will never see the results of answered prayer until we ask.
In His earthly ministry, Jesus did not work many miracles in His home town, Nazareth. Why not? His power was not diminished. I believe it was because people did not believe in Him. They demonstrated this unbelief by not coming to Him with the same needs that He miraculously met elsewhere (Matthew 13:57-58). A lack of prayer demonstrates the same characteristic in our lives.
In conclusion, we pray to demonstrate our faith in God, that He will do as He has promised in His Word, and will bless our lives abundantly more than we could ask or hope for (Ephesians 3:20). Prayer is our primary means of seeing God work in others' lives (in addition to the sharing of the Word (Isaiah 55:11). Because it is our means of "plugging into" God's power, it is our means of defeating a foe and his army (Satan and his army) that we are powerless to overcome by ourselves. Therefore, may God find you and me often before His throne for we have a High Priest in heaven who can identify with all that we go through (Hebrews 4:15-16). We have His promise that the fervent prayer of a righteous man (even faltering children of God like you and me) accomplishes much (James 5:16-18). May God glorify His name in our lives as we believe in Him enough to come to Him often - especially when things seem the most hopeless.
Answer: Why pray?
(1) Prayer is a form of serving God (Luke 2:36-38). We pray because God commands us to pray (Philippians 4:6-7).
(2) Prayer is exemplified for us by Christ and the early church (Mark 1:35; Acts 1:14; 2:42; 3:1; 4:23-31; 6:4; 13:1-3). If Jesus thought it was worthwhile to pray, we should also.
(3) God intends for prayer to be the means of obtaining His solutions in a number of situations:
a) Preparation for major decisions (Luke 6:12-13)
b) Overcoming demonic barriers in lives (Matthew 17:14-21)
c) The gathering of workers for the spiritual harvest (Luke 10:2)
d) The gaining of strength to overcome temptation (Matthew 26:41)
e) The means of strengthening others spiritually (Ephesians 6:18-19)
(4) We have God's promise that our prayers are not in vain, even if we don't get specifically what we asked for (Matthew 6:6; Romans 8:26-27).
(5) He has promised that when we ask for things that are in accordance with His will (we find that in His Word), He will give us what we ask for (1 John 5:14-15).
Sometimes He delays His answers according to His wisdom and for our benefit but urges us to be diligent and persistent in prayer (Matthew 7:7; Luke 18:1-8). Prayer should not be seen as our means of getting God to do our will on earth but rather as a means of getting God's will done on earth. This sounds like a nice, trite phrase, but I am grateful that He works that way. His wisdom far exceeds mine and His love for me and for others far exceeds my own as well.
Also in situations in which we do not know specifically what God's will is in a situation, prayer is a channel of getting what we ask for. If Peter had not asked for Jesus to call for him to come out of the boat and onto the water, he would have missed that opportunity (Matthew 14:28-29). If the Syrian woman with the demon-influenced daughter had not prayed to Christ, her daughter would not have been made whole (Mark 7:26-30). If the blind man outside of Jericho would not have called out to Christ, he would have still been blind (Luke 18:35-43). God has said that often we go without because we do not ask (James 4:2). In one sense, prayer is like sharing the gospel with people. We do not know who will respond to the message of the gospel until we share it. It is the same with prayer: we will never see the results of answered prayer until we ask.
In His earthly ministry, Jesus did not work many miracles in His home town, Nazareth. Why not? His power was not diminished. I believe it was because people did not believe in Him. They demonstrated this unbelief by not coming to Him with the same needs that He miraculously met elsewhere (Matthew 13:57-58). A lack of prayer demonstrates the same characteristic in our lives.
In conclusion, we pray to demonstrate our faith in God, that He will do as He has promised in His Word, and will bless our lives abundantly more than we could ask or hope for (Ephesians 3:20). Prayer is our primary means of seeing God work in others' lives (in addition to the sharing of the Word (Isaiah 55:11). Because it is our means of "plugging into" God's power, it is our means of defeating a foe and his army (Satan and his army) that we are powerless to overcome by ourselves. Therefore, may God find you and me often before His throne for we have a High Priest in heaven who can identify with all that we go through (Hebrews 4:15-16). We have His promise that the fervent prayer of a righteous man (even faltering children of God like you and me) accomplishes much (James 5:16-18). May God glorify His name in our lives as we believe in Him enough to come to Him often - especially when things seem the most hopeless.
