Religion Q & A – Why We Pray

Andrew asks: “Since God is above time and he has already done everything he wanted to do. Why do we pray?”

Answer: Here are some reasons why we 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 receive 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, He will give us what we ask for (1 John 5:14-15).

- excerpt taken from GotQuestions.org

Prayer doesn’t change God…prayer actually changes us. It prepares our hearts to receive whatever God wants for us, and whatever God wants for us is always best. We may not always get what we pray for, but the very fact that we pray increases our faith in God. We believe that He hears us and this helps us remain open to His response. Prayer never hurts…it always helps! God has great things in store for us, even during times of trial. So when we pray, we get grace and strength and definitely more peace directly from HEAVEN.