Why Christians Pray

Aside from being one of the greatest forms of worship, prayer is the method by which we communicate with God. He is always there and He doesn't grow tired or weary. When we ask for bread, He doesn't give us a stone. When we ask for fish, He doesn't give us a snake. We are His children and Jesus said the Father loves us because we love Him. "For the Father himself loveth you, because ye have loved me, and have believed that I came out from God." (John 16:27)

Christ revealed God to us as a loving Father ready to hear our prayers. The Apostle Paul said we should cry "Abba Father" (papa or daddy) which represents a close, intimate relationship as sons and daughters. (Rom. 8:15) When someone shows us love our natural response is to love them back. Apparently it is the same with God. "I love them that love me; and those that seek me early shall find me." (Prov. 8:17)

Prayer lets us take our daily concerns to the Father, trusting Him to take care of them. Praying often throughout the day alleviates anxiety as we turn to God for strength and focus. "Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God." (Philippians 4:6)

We often head out into the world with something pressing on our mind. Prayer can bring the kind of peace which "passeth all understanding," so we can boldly face any challenge that may be in store for us. It could be the Lord's will that we face whatever it is we're dreading but through prayer He can enable us to stand up to it. "I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me." (Philippians 4"13)

Jesus said we must abide in Him and that we can do nothing without Him. In other words, without Him we can't, and without us He won't. "In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths." (Prov. 3:6)

Each day brings forth circumstances which require decisions. Prayer is the way in which Christians receive guidance. When God is acknowledged He will either turn us in the right direction or simply bless the direction that we choose.

Paul said to pray without ceasing which doesn't mean that we should pray twenty-four hours a day but that we should not become slack in our prayers because He is with us everywhere we go. When we get into our car He is there. When we enter our workplace He is there. No matter where we go or what we do God is always there.

"You know when I sit down or stand up...You see me when I travel and when I rest at home. You know everything I do... I can never get away from your presence!" (Psalms 139: 1-7)

If a friend walked with us everywhere we went we would naturally communicate because we can see and hear another person. It is by faith that we accept God's presence with us. When we need to make a decision and ask God to help us choose the right path, we are acknowledging Him and in turn He will direct our path.

Those of us who pray only when a situation has escalated beyond our control are demonstrating a serious lack of faith. When we pray often, we sense God's presence everywhere we go so that when a difficult situation develops we know that God is right there with us; and a simple, "What should I do, Lord?' is all that's needed. Those who walk with God need not summon Him because He is always with them.

Nevertheless, God, in His infinite mercy, does respond to those who cry out to Him with a humble heart regardless of whether or not they practice regular prayer.

King Hezekiah always communicated with God through the prophet Isaiah until the king of Assyria sent a letter threatening his kingdom. (Is. 36:18). In this letter he threatened to starve the city. King Hezekiah knew that the Assyrian king was perfectly capable of carrying out this threat as these were wicked people. It disturbed him so much that he didn't go through Isaiah but went directly to the house of the Lord, spread the letter out before God, and humbled himself in prayer.

"... Incline Your ear, O Lord, and hear; open Your eyes, O Lord, and see; and hear all the words of Sennacharib, which he has sent to mock the Living God... So now, O Lord our God, save us from his hand that all the kingdoms of the earth may know that You alone are the Lord." Isaiah knew nothing about the king's prayer yet shortly after Hezekiah prayed, Isaiah received a word from the Lord and sent it to Hezekiah.

"Thus says the Lord... Because you have prayed to me ..." God slew 185,000 soldiers in the camp of the Assyrians and the sons of Sennacharib slew their own father in the temple of Nisroch, his idol.

"Because you have prayed to me..."

Hezekiah could have had Isaiah pray for him but instead he went directly to the throne of God with a contrite and timid spirit. By humbling himself in such a way, God responded phenomenally.

This is why Christians pray. We believe that God is in control of the entire universe and Scriptures attests to the fact that prayer can change the course of things. We pray not only for ourselves but often intercede on behalf of others for a variety of reasons such as salvation, health or general circumstances.

James said, "The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much. Elias was a man subject to like passions as we are, and he prayed earnestly that it might not rain: and it rained not on the earth by the space of three years and six months." (James 5:16-17)

The Lord's brother is saying here that even though Elias was a prophet he was still flesh and blood just like us. His status as prophet had nothing to do with his prayer being answered.

God saw King David as the apple of His eye and a man after His own heart. Anyone familiar with the Psalms of David knows how earnest and heart-felt they are. David worshiped God in spirit and in truth which is the kind of worship Jesus said God desires.

"But the hour cometh, and now is, when the true worshippers shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth: for the Father seeketh such to worship him. God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth." (John 4: 23-24)

Prayer is our lifeline to God. "Seek ye me, and ye shall live." (Amos 5:4)

The act of prayer is a demonstration of our complete dependence on God for all of our wants and needs. Jesus said that God knows what we need before we ask. (Matt. 6:32) James said we have not because we ask not, (James 4:2) which suggests that if we want or need something we are to ask. Paul said that God can give us much more than what we ask for. "Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us..." (Eph. 3:20)

There is no certain way or certain time to pray. God is always there to hear our prayers. We can spend a moment in the Word with prayer before heading out for the day or express our concerns and anxieties to Him on the way to our destinations; which can enable us to deal with whatever the day has in store for us.

When things go wrong we turn to God in prayer, but we turn to Him just as easily with thanksgiving when things go right, giving Him the praise He so rightly deserves.

Essentially, prayer is our means of fellowship with the living God. He is the source of life Whose presence can be felt by those who earnestly seek a personal relationship with Him. It is difficult to understand how God can deal personally with billions of persons at the same time because we as finite beings cannot fully comprehend omnipresence. Nevertheless, as an infinite being, God surrounds each and every one of us with His Holy Spirit Who knows the heart and mind of God as well as the heart and mind of man.

Prayer is our personal means of worship. Jesus said our prayers should begin with praise. "...hallowed be thy name." (Matt. 6:9) We don't necessarily worry about finding the right words because the Holy Spirit helps us pray. "We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groans that words cannot express." (Rom. 8: 26-27)

Therefore, Christians pray for a number of different reasons but mainly because we recognize, by the power of the Holy Spirit, that God is the ultimate source of all life. As all physical life needs the light of the sun to grow and flourish so also all spiritual life needs the light of God which we receive through the only begotten Son of the Father, Jesus Christ.