Why Pray?
The truth is we are not capable of making it through life’s trouble on our own strength and wisdom. We constantly need help and we need it every day. Prayer is how we invite God to be involved in our daily decisions. Prayer is the way we worship God and thank Him for all the blessings we enjoy each day. Prayer is a supernatural way to encourage others and ourselves. Prayer is how we tap into the power of God to change our circumstances. Prayer is how we connect our knowledge of God’s Word with our faith in God. Prayer is the spiritual glue that continually cements and strengthens our relationship with God.
James 1:5-8, “If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you. But when you ask, you must believe and not doubt, because the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind. That person should not expect to receive anything from the Lord. Such a person is double-minded and unstable in all they do.”
Secular Americans depend on intelligence, education, reason, logic and personal interest to make decisions. Christians should be motivated by the love of Christ, the truth of God’s Word and the voice of the Holy Spirit prompting us to move in a certain direction. I am not advocating that Christians abandon secular thinking but every decision we make should be filtered through the truth of God’s word and laid before Him during our prayer time each day. When in doubt, appeal to the knowledge of God’s Word over your own logic. When in doubt trust God with your decisions and the leave the consequences to Him. The greatest request we can make is to ask God for His help. God created us in His own image and His love for us is too overwhelming to comprehend.
Jeremiah 29:11-13, “For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. 12 Then you will call on me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. 13 You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.”
God uses adversity in life to mold the character of Christ into our hearts and minds. How can we make sense of emotional pain, rejection, and failure? You cannot unless you have a relationship with Jesus Christ. Only God can fill your life with Joy, meaning and contentment. Only God can take something that was meant for evil and turn it around for your good. Trust and obey God. Then we can expect Him to move in our lives when we ask Him for help.
Rob
