Why Do We Pray?
Recommended Reading: Luke 18:1-8 | Matthew 6 | Psalm 51
This question was posed to me a few years ago — “Why do Christians pray?” At first, it sounds like an easy question a child might ask their parent. My immediate thoughts are that God commands us to pray (Philippians 4:6) and that prayer can powerfully change our lives, grow our relationship with God, and create miraculous moments (miracles). However, trying to answer is a little more difficult once you factor in further questions that go a different route like,
Does God not know our thoughts?
Does God need to be informed of something He isn’t aware of?
Does God need our prayers?
Does God want us to beg like paupers for His help?
These are all fair questions to ask as we grow in our understanding of God and prayer. The answer to why we pray may seem elusive, but never fear, the answer is as simple as the gospel.
We don’t pray to inform God of something He doesn’t know, we pray to establish our hearts in acknowledgement that God is the answer to everything we need. When we acknowledge that, God’s heart is moved to compassion.
Our prayers don’t inform God, but they re-center our focus on Him and move His heart. It has accurately been said this way,
“We don’t pray to inform God; we pray to involve God.”
God responds when we invite Him to do so, and it doesn’t take much of an invitation. God delights in showing mercy (Micah 7:18) and loves to save His people from distress (Ever heard of the Exodus?). Furthermore, He’s not impressed with empty, intelligently designed, poetic prayers. God desires our faith over an illustrious vocabulary. You don’t have to pray pretty prayers to get God’s attention.
“And when you pray, do not heap up empty phrases as the Gentiles do, for they think that they will be heard for their many words. Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him.” - Matthew 6:7-8
King David wrote many hymns of prayer and petition, Moses frequently sought God in times of trouble, Abraham was extremely focused on communing with God, the prophets of old would have had no influence or power without their constant prayers, and Jesus himself prayed often to the Father. This list would continue to pour like an endless waterfall if every man and woman of prayer from God’s Word was listed.
What does this tell us? That prayer is about positioning yourself into a perpetual lifestyle of communication with your wonderful God.
“Rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer.” - Romans 12:12
In fact, that’s all prayer is — communication with God. It’s a spiritual, two-way dialogue. You won’t always have the response you want or expect, but God will never leave you hanging.
However, maybe that doesn’t sit well with you. Maybe you’ve been praying, or have prayed for something or someone, and have yet to receive the fruit you went to pick. Does He not hear you? Have your prayers been tossed out the window by a God that neither cares nor has time for them? Let’s look at the gospel of Luke.
In Luke 18:1-8, Jesus shares the parable of the Persistent Widow. Verse 1 begins by giving the reason Jesus shared it.
“And he told them a parable to the affect that they ought always to pray and not lose heart.” (Luke 18:1)
Jesus then tells a story of an unrighteous judge who “…neither feared God nor respected man.” and a widow “…who kept coming to him saying ‘Give me justice against my adversary.’” (Verses 2-3)
Jesus shares that the judge refused the widow her justice for a while, but said to himself, “'Though I neither fear God nor respect man, yet because this widow keeps bothering me, I will give her justice, so that she will not beat me down by her continual coming’” (Verses 4-5)
In his closing, Jesus says, “Hear what the unrighteous judge says. And will not God give justice to his elect, who cry to him day and night? Will he delay long over them? I tell you, he will give justice to them speedily. Nevertheless, when the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on earth?” (Verses 6-8)
Jesus knew that we would feel disappointed, get tired, and lose hope while waiting for our prayers to be answered. Your prayers are not ignored or thrown out, they could be in process. His thoughts are not our thoughts and His ways are not our ways (Isaiah 55:8). His timing is not our own (2 Peter 3:8), and His grander plan is much bigger than even our biggest plans (Jeremiah 29:11).
In my current season of life I have wondered when the breakthrough will finally appear. I have kept a spiritual overnight watch for my family, just to peer across foggy waters looking for the hinted glow of a lighthouse promising to get me ashore. My family has been weighed down by chronic illness and constant attacks from the adversary. I have sought the Lord and felt distant, alone, and weary. Yet, through all of this, my God has not failed. He has led me through the valley of the shadow of death, and His gracious hand has provided for me as I navigate the dark billows of what feels like an endless abyss.
A few mornings ago, I asked the Lord for anything to keep my head above the waves. As I stared down at Luke 18, my hope was again restored. I have prayed with continual coming to the Lord, like the Persistent Widow who would not give up. If the unrighteous judge eventually gives in and provides justice, how much more will the Righteous Judge and King hear my calls for rescue? How much more does He want to save me from my adversary? I cannot allow myself to believe the lies that whisper, “Just give up. He doesn’t hear you.” I know my miracle is on the way. The process may not look like I would like, but I am not God and I do not know what’s best. What I do know, is that God’s ear is wide open to my persistence. He welcomes my constant prayers and petitions.
Jesus prayed for Peter so that Satan’s demands to have him were thwarted. Prayer is powerful not because of our words, but because of who our prayers invite into our situation. I have invited the Lord Jehovah into mine.
So, we pray to invite God to take control. Prayer is an act of submission and surrender. It is an act of worship and honor. It is an act of acknowledgement that God is my source of freedom, hope, comfort, and all things that I need. God promises to hear us and respond, but I must be careful not to love the promise more than the Promise Keeper.
My prayers are misguided and less impactful when they are derived from desiring the answer more than the One who answers.
Not because God shuns those prayers, but because I’m shunning relationship with Him. If I pray to get what I seek more than I pray to commune with God, I am worshiping His hand of provision while ignoring the glory of His face.
Notice David’s desperate prayer after he sinned against God with Bathsheeba and then had her husband, and his friend, Uriah, murdered in battle.
“Cast me not away from your presence, and take not your Holy Spirit from me.” - Psalm 51:11
David was deeply concerned with keeping his relationship with God. He sought restoration with God’s presence, not a fix of all his mistakes and problems. He wanted to be in communion with God over all other things.
I’m not saying we shouldn’t ask God to intervene and help us in our mess, but asking for God’s intervention without knowing Him is like asking the same neighbor across your street to gift you $100 every time you need money, while never caring to learn their name or anything about them. Prayer isn’t always to ask Him for something, and when we do, we should already be living a life that puts God first.
“But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you. ‘Therefore do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.’” - Matthew 6:33-34
Challenge: Commit to praying for at least 15 minutes for the next seven days. Journal your thoughts. Whether you feel God or not, He is listening. Approach your prayer time with worship and praise, inviting God into your space and situation, acknowledging Him as your everything. Don’t just ask for help, honor His Holiness by thanking Him for who He is and what He has already done. After seven days, record your experience and what you heard Him speak during that time. Share it with a friend and try it again next week!
Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you. - 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18
"I strongly suspect that if we saw all the difference even the tiniest of our prayers make, all the people those little prayers were destined to affect, and all the consequences of those prayers down through the centuries, we would be so paralyzed with awe at the power of prayer that we would be unable to get up off our knees for the rest of our lives." - Peter Kreeft
Pray with persistence.
Pray like you mean it.