The Purpose of Prayer

Introduction

        Last week we asked the question, Is Prayer Pointless? And the answer is based on whether an individual believes in God or not. We also showed that action is just as necessary and that we (Christians) don’t believe that we are simply handing over our problems for God to fix for us.

        This week we look at the purpose of prayer itself and look at some of the examples that are given in the scriptures.

Why Do We Pray?

        The main reason we pray is to talk to God. If God is, indeed, the creator of all things (Gen. 1:1) then we have a responsibility to talk to Him in regards to our life. Whether we are thanking Him for: the air we breathe, the ground we walk on, and the people we associate with; or when we voice our concerns for things that are going on in our life; whether good or bad.

        We talk to our parents about things of the world as they have had previous experience in a lot of matters and can offer their advice, or wisdom, in regards to such things. How much more should we talk to God, our Spiritual Father, concerning matters of a spiritual nature. Whether we ask for God’s mercy during a trying time in our life, beg for His forgiveness when we sin, or thank Him for helping us through life on a day-to-day basis.

       

How Should We Pray?

When we give a formal prayer, we must realize that we are approaching God’s Heavenly Throne and addressing Him as our Heavenly Father. We must show reverence and Godly fear in our attitude towards Him. Just as a child shows respect to their parent, so must the Christian show respect to God.

        When leading a public prayer during the assembly or at meal time with family, we must remember not only are we approaching His Throne, but that we are speaking on behalf of those present. Those who are present can also add, mentally, things that they want God to know about in their own lives; but it is the hope that the one leading the prayer will cover all concerns of a local group. This is not to say that we want you to name names and personal or private concerns, but general concerns such as: illness, problems within a family, upcoming surgeries, etc. We are not airing our “dirty laundry” for all around but rather to make sure that all concerns are addressed. We also want to make sure that we are not drawing attention to ourselves; especially in a restaurant. If prayer at meal time cannot be accomplished without attracting others, then it would be advisable not to do it (see Matt. 6:5-6).

        There are also times when we can talk to God in a more informal matter. If we have a problem we need to work out, we can talk to Him and, through His scriptures, He will respond by giving us a recollection of something we have previously studied in His Word. God DOES NOT speak to us verbally, mentally, or through some sign. He only speaks to us in His inspired word which was given us by the Holy Spirit.

God’s answer to Prayers

        As we have already discussed in a previous article, Sometimes God says No, God does answer all prayers but it may not be the answer that we want or the one we expect. The example given last week was about an individual who prays for a new and better job but instead gets a promotion with a raise. It’s not necessarily the answer they wanted, but the actual result might give them a whole new perspective on the job that they have and the new position they take over.

        There will be times when God does answer your prayers but it won’t be evident right away. All too often people expect instant results when they pray to God for something; be it physical or spiritual. You must remember that God works at His own speed (2 Pet. 3:8) and even if the prayer is answered immediately, you may not notice that outcome until much later.

Examples of Prayer

        Finally, we look at examples of prayer. In Matt. 6:5-15, Jesus discusses the subject of prayer and uses the Pharisees as a negative example. He concludes this portion with an example of prayer called, “The Model Prayer”. Most people wrongfully call it the Lord’s Prayer and turn it into a portion of liturgy as some kind of incantation to summon God or to acknowledge His existence.

        The reason this is called a model prayer is that Jesus gave it as an example of how to pray. If you look at verse 9, the first few words Jesus says is, “In this manner, therefore, pray…” (NKJV). He never said, “This is the prayer you must pray.” The reason for this is in verse 10; as the kingdom is already here!

        There are some who do not believe that we should pray for material things. In Mt. 6:11 Jesus says, “Give us this day our daily bread.” For some, they believe this phrase, ‘our daily bread’ should mean the scriptures. The reason they believe this is that Jesus called himself “The Bread of Life” (Jn. 6:35). He also is referred to as “The Word” (Jn. 1:1,14). Therefore, the scriptures should be our daily bread.

        However, since God created the world and everything in it, He also created the necessary means for food. The soil, the seeds, the rain, the sun, and our knowledge of how to tend the plants and when to harvest them.

        Naturally, there will be some that say that they don’t need to pray for food. That they will just take their money and go to the store and buy it. True enough, but without that list above there wouldn’t be food to buy, and without a job there wouldn’t be any money to buy it. Praying for our daily bread is not to expect God to give you the food but to provide the correct avenue to obtain it. Prov. 30:8, “Give me neither poverty nor riches-Feed me with the food allotted to me.”  

For other examples of prayers, look through book of Psalms. In it you will find prayers of Thanksgiving, encouragement, despair, and begging of forgiveness. Next week we’ll look at intercessory prayer; praying on behalf of someone else.

Conclusion

        Prayer is a powerful weapon against the devil. The more you pray to God, the less a chance Satan has to distract you and take control of your life. “The effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much.” (Jas. 5:16)