Why Pray?

By Gary Keith, Lead Pastor 

Christians believe that God is all-powerful, all-knowing, and loving, even if through our personal experiences we find that hard to embrace. So one of the natural follow-up questions to that statement is, ‘Why pray?’ If God is all-knowing and loving, why do I need to pray? That seems like a good logical question, right? Let me take the next few minutes of your time to share a couple of possible answers to that question.

In addition to the belief that God is all-powerful, all-knowing, and loving, we also believe that God wants a relationship with us. In fact, we believe that God has called us into a relationship with people. And relationships – good relationships anyway – require communication. They require talking to one another. You can’t have a good relationship with anyone without good, clear, and honest communication.

For the Christian, prayer is simply communication between a holy God and you. And throughout the Bible we’re taught the importance and role of prayer. Let me share just a couple of passages that talk about the importance of good communication between you and God.

1. God invites us and commands us to pray. In Matthew 6:5-15, Jesus, during His well-known Sermon on the Mount, gives His followers some instructions about prayer. He starts off by saying, “When you pray…” This is both an invitation and a command to pray. Jesus points out that God is in control. Knowing this encourages true faith, not anxiety and worry. We are not to presume on God’s automatic care, but rather we are to come in trusting dependence to ask for what we need (Matthew 7:7-11). Since God is Spirit and we cannot see Him, our communication encourages our faith and develops our closeness and dependence. In prayer, in asking we acknowledge our dependence on God. 
2. God reveals Himself to us through prayer. When we talk with God we learn more and more about His character. We learn about how His perfect will is working itself out in our own life. Psalm 143:10 says, “Teach me to do your will for you are my God. May your gracious Spirit lead me forward on a firm footing” (NLT). In prayer we deepen our understanding of God, which in turn deepens our faith and desire to devote ourselves to Him on a daily basis. 
3. God invites us to bring our burdens and needs to Him in prayer. A New Testament verse I come back to often is Matthew 11:28, which says, “Come to me, all you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest” (NLT). These are the words of Jesus and the way we come to Him is through good and frequent communication. We have a God who is more than able to bring help to any challenge we face – God is a spiritual and physical healer. Like any healthy relationship, we would do well to keep a line of communication open. 

“Our mission (at LBF) is to passionately pursue LIFE in Jesus, and to lead our neighbors to do the same.” Communication with the source of this LIFE is essential to becoming a person who is living passionately for Jesus.

There is way more to talk about when it comes to prayer, but re-read these three reasons and then ask God how you can grow in your communication with Him. He wants to talk with us and help us today we as pursue LIFE in Jesus. Let’s make prayer a growing part of our passionate pursuit!