Why Pray?

Introduction

Have you ever noticed that you always have time for what you value? With me its washing the car. I never seem to have time for that. I have time for attending concerts, reading, cycling, paddling, but when it comes to washing the car, there is never time. What do you always have time for? What do you never have time for? Where does prayer fit into that scheme?

I have noticed that if a church hosts a concert or a banquet, lots of people show up, but if it invites people to a prayer meeting, a lot fewer people show up. Why is that?

            When Jesus was at the most agonizing moment of His life He prayed in the Garden of Gethsemane. He invited His disciples to join him in prayer, but instead of praying with him they slept. How like the disciples we sometimes are.

            I know that we do pray and that at certain times prayer is very urgent. But when we read Scripture and see how often it talks about prayer and compare that with the amount of attention it gets in our life and in our church programs, I wonder if we really see the value of prayer. Is it possible that we don’t believe that God's invitation to pray is important? Or to put it another way, “Why pray?”

I.                Does God Need Our Prayer?

As I think about prayer, I sometimes wonder why it is needed. There are several theological realities which lead me to think that way.

A.              God Is Sovereign

I wonder why prayer is needed when I consider the sovereignty of God.

We read in 1 Samuel 2:6-8, "The LORD kills and brings to life; he brings down to Sheol and raises up. The LORD makes poor and makes rich; he brings low, he also exalts. He raises up the poor from the dust; he lifts the needy from the ash heap, to make them sit with princes and inherit a seat of honor. For the pillars of the earth are the LORD’s, and on them he has set the world."

Psalm 115:3, "Our God is in the heavens; he does whatever he pleases."

Jeremiah 18:6, "Can I not do with you, O house of Israel, just as this potter has done? says the LORD. Just like the clay in the potter’s hand, so are you in my hand, O house of Israel."

Daniel 2:21, "He changes times and seasons, deposes kings and sets up kings; he gives wisdom to the wise and knowledge to those who have understanding."

            God has the sovereignty, power and wisdom to do whatever he pleases and that makes me wonder what my prayers can possibly add to what happens? So one hindrance to our involvement in prayer may well be our belief that God does what He will do without our involvement. When we read in Matthew 6:8, "… your Father knows what you need before you ask him" we wonder why we need to ask Him.

B.              What Power Do We Have?

Yet the Bible calls us to prayer and so we struggle to find some answer to why we need to pray in light of God's sovereignty. Several explanations have been given as to the necessity of our prayer. See what you think of them.

1.              God Doesn’t Need to Know

Some suggest that we need to pray because God is in heaven and we are on earth and so God needs us to tell Him what is happening on earth and what is needed on earth. This seems to suggest that perhaps God doesn’t know about the details and our prayers supply Him with those details so that He knows how to respond.

Yet we know that that cannot be the case. God is aware of all things that are happening in heaven and on earth. Hebrews 4:13 says, "And before Him no creature is hidden, but all are naked and laid bare to the eyes of the one to whom we must render an account."

2.              God Doesn’t Need to Be Persuaded

Another explanation is that God is reluctant and needs to be persuaded. There are times when it seems that this is what is happening. In II Kings 20 we read the story of King Hezekiah. He was ill and the word of the prophet was that hr was going to die. But he prayed and it seems that his prayer persuaded God. In 2 Kings 20:5, 6 we read about God's response "…I have heard your prayer, I have seen your tears; indeed, I will heal you..."

            Is God a reluctant sovereign who needs to be persuaded? The problem with that is that it would suggest that God is not fundamentally compassionate but there is just too much Scripture which says otherwise. God is not a reluctant sovereign, but a compassionate Father. Matthew 10:29-31 reminds us of this when it says, "Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? Yet not one of them will fall to the ground apart from your Father. And even the hairs of your head are all counted. So do not be afraid; you are of more value than many sparrows." God is not reluctant and does not need to be persuaded.

3.              God Doesn’t Need to Be Moved

In a similar line sometimes it seems that if we use the right words we will move God. Such thinking seems to be supported by such passages as James 5:16-18 which encourages diligence in prayer. It says, "The prayer of the righteous is powerful and effective. Elijah was a human being like us, and he prayed fervently that it might not rain, and for three years and six months it did not rain on the earth. Then he prayed again, and the heaven gave rain and the earth yielded its harvest." We read such a verse and think that if we only pray fervently enough, God will act. Other times we think that if we have enough people praying that we will persuade God to act. Paul encourages the Corinthians in 2 Corinthians 1:10, "…we have set our hope that He will rescue us again, as you also join in helping us by your prayers..." When we read that we think that the more people that pray the more likely it is that God will answer.

But we need to be very careful about that kind of thinking. It tends towards pagan ways of thinking. They believed in gods who did not really care about people, but could be forced to act if a person used the right words or enough words. Such a view of prayer makes prayer a magic incantation. Jesus warned in Matthew 6:7-8, "When you are praying, do not heap up empty phrases as the Gentiles do; for they think that they will be heard because of their many words. Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him." These verses assure us that God is not like that. He knows what we need and is filled with compassion.

4.              God Doesn’t Need to Have Permission

I once read a book titled, “Intercessory Prayer” which presents the theory that God has authority in heaven, but has given authority on earth to human beings. The author points to Psalm 115:16 which says, "The heavens are the LORD’s heavens, but the earth he has given to human beings." The writer goes on to say that prayer is necessary because our prayers give God permission to work on the earth, over which we have authority. In fact he goes so far as to say that God is not able to do anything without our prayer. He needs our permission because He has given us authority on earth.

I don’t believe that this is a Biblical concept either. God is sovereign and in Isaiah 65:24 we read, "Before they call I will answer, while they are yet speaking I will hear." When we look at how God has worked in human history, there are just too many times when God worked when we have no indication that something happened because people prayed. For example, how was it that God called Abraham? There is no indication that prayer was involved. God has a plan and He is bringing about His plan even if we don’t pray.

II.             The Need of Prayer

             We know that God is sovereign. We can see that our prayers are not needed to inform God, to persuade or move God or to give God permission. Since those things are true, we continue to wonder why we need to pray?

            I have been reading the book The Transforming Friendship, written by James Houston, which you will find in our church library after I am done with it. In it he mentions three wrong approaches to prayer before moving on to talk about why we need to pray.

            He mentions that prayer must not be something we "do." He puts it this way, "prayer can be a way of respectfully tipping our hat to the Almighty." In such a situation, prayer becomes an end in itself or an emergency number to call in times of trouble. He further points out that if we pray to God only when He is needed to solve a problem, prayer will be unnecessary when we have no problems to solve. He wonders, "What if technology solves all our problems, will the need to pray be gone?"

            Similarly prayer cannot simply be a custom. He writes, "Prayer which is merely a social nicety is highly vulnerable." "Prayer that is done 'because I have always prayed' inoculates us against true prayer, preventing us from ever finding a living relationship with God."

            He also mentions, what I have already indicated about the danger that views prayer as magic – an incantation that says the right words or the right number of words to produce the desired effect. If we pray like that, we are being manipulative and are not really interested in God. So the question remains, "why pray?"

A.              Prayer As Obedience

One reason we need to pray is because God has invited us and indeed commanded us to pray!

            I Thessalonians 5:17 commands, "pray without ceasing," Ephesians 6:18 gives a detailed invitation to prayer when it says, "Pray in the Spirit at all times in every prayer and supplication. To that end keep alert and always persevere in supplication for all the saints." Jesus Himself calls us to pray in Luke 18:1 where He says, "Then Jesus told them a parable about their need to pray always and not to lose heart." This call to prayer comes directly from Jesus and therefore is a strong encouragement to keep on praying.

            God invites and commands us to pray because for some reason God has ordained that our prayers will be effective. James 5:16 commands, "Therefore confess your sins to one another, and pray for one another, so that you may be healed. The prayer of the righteous is powerful and effective."  We see a great example of effective prayer in the life of Abraham. He had been told by the angel of the Lord that Sodom was going to be destroyed because of the wickedness of that city. This touched Abraham because his nephew Lot lived in Sodom, so Abraham began to pray. He asked God, with humility and yet urgency if the city would be destroyed if there were righteous people in it. He persisted in prayer and was able to gain the release of Lot from the wicked city before it was destroyed. So as Hebrews 4:16 urges us, "Let us therefore approach the throne of grace with boldness, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need."

So we pray because God has told us to pray and because such prayer is effective. The example of Jesus also encourages us that we must pray. Jesus had great effectiveness in ministry and much of that had to do with His life of prayer. We frequently read that He asked for things in prayer. In Matthew 19:13 He prayed for the children. He prayed when Lazarus was raised from the dead in John 11:41. In Luke 22:32 he prayed for Peter when he knew he would be tempted. He asked God to forgive those who crucified him in Luke 23:34. The whole of John 17 is the prayer of Jesus for his disciples. He prayed about his impending death on the cross in Matthew 26:36ff in the garden of Gethsemane. These were prayers of petition for specific situations. Now if Jesus prayed and asked God for things and if prayer was such an important part of His life, even though He was God and was in such a close relationship with God, doesn’t that show us how important it is for us to pray as well?

Given the sovereignty of God, there is no doubt some mystery about why we must pray, but the call to pray and the command to pray make it clear that our prayers are important and we must pray.

B.              Prayer As Relationship

But there is also another reason to pray. Myron Augsburger says, “Prayer is relationship, not entreaty. Prayer is fellowship, not impression.” When he says that he helps us understand what is probably the most important reason to pray and that is because prayer is relationship with God. I like the way James Houston puts it when he says, "The focus of prayer is not prayer but God Himself." Prayer is the communication which happens between a loving Father and His children.

This aspect of prayer is so beautifully exemplified by Jesus. So many times He spent time alone with the Father in prayer. Mark 1:35 says, "In the morning, while it was still very dark, he got up and went out to a deserted place, and there he prayed." This wonderful intimacy is seen in many of Jesus’ prayers. In His prayer in John 17 we read in verse 21, "As you, Father, are in me and I am in you…" That phrase expresses how the Jesus life was lived in intimacy with His Father. That intimacy was expressed in his life of prayer. Houston writes, "Our prayers are a response to the friendship and love of God" and so as we pray, we also enter into and grow in that same kind of intimacy with the Father and that in itself is an important reason to pray.

As we grow in our relationship with God through prayer many important things happen in our relationship with God and in us. As we pray, we learn about what it means to be humble. Whenever we approach God with openness and honesty we are reminded that God is Lord and that we are creatures. One of the primary postures in prayer, kneeling, communicates the importance of humility. Houston puts it another way when he says, "…prayer requires spiritual nakedness before God…" and prayer will bring us to that spiritual nakedness. II Chronicles 7:14 is a key verse on humility in prayer. God spoke it to Solomon after he completed the temple in Jerusalem and dedicated it to God. God promised the people, "if my people who are called by my name humble themselves, pray, seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin and heal their land."

In prayer we also express our dependence. As we pray, we are reminded that the one who is Lord is the one who has provided and continues to provide all our needs. In prayer we express our helplessness and acknowledge that we have someone who is able to meet us in that place. In Psalm 5:3 we read, "O LORD, in the morning you hear my voice; in the morning I plead my case to you, and watch." What a wonderful expression of dependence on God. In it we see the pleading with God because of the helplessness, but we also see the trust in God in which we "watch" to see how God will act. In prayer we seek Him in relationship and in doing so we express our dependence on God.

            As we humble ourselves and recognize our dependence on God, we also grow in trust. The more we spend time with people, the more we learn to trust them. Growth in trust is an experience of mutuality in relationship. Clement of Alexandria wrote "prayer is keeping company with God" and as we keep company with God, we grow in trust. We learn to know how He works and what is important to Him and we learn to rest in Him. Recently in my prayer time I have spent time praising God for who He is and as I have reflected on His power and compassion, I have caught myself declaring a greater willingness to trust in Him. That happens only in a prayer of relationship.

            As we open ourselves up to God in prayer, we also open ourselves up to allowing Him to change us. We discover who God is and what He is about and we enter into a discussion with him that will last until we see Him face to face. While we are engaged in this discussion He works in us to change us and we learn to submit to Him. I like what George MacDonald wrote when he said, "My prayers, my God, flow from what I am not. I think thy answers make me what I am." One of the most powerful and effective ways of praying in a relationship that changes us is to read and pray the Psalms. They deal with every conceivable aspect of life and as we pray them, we allow God to shape our heart in our relationship with Him.

            Prayer as nurturing a relationship with God is probably the most significant reason to pray. As we pray, we are kept in a relationship with God in which we recognize who He is and who we are in relationship to Him. We grow in intimacy, trust and maturity.

Conclusion

I would like to confess that I don't believe in prayer. That is to say, I do not believe in prayer if prayer is an end in itself. However, I do believe in prayer if I mean that I believe in God and that God has invited me to talk to Him. This is an important distinction. Sometimes when people say they believe in prayer, they are saying that they believe in the magic of saying the right words. That is not what God has called us to nor is it true prayer. Prayer that is real focuses on God, who He is, who we are in relationship to Him and on what He wants to do. And that helps us understand why we must pray. We pray because God is God and we need Him and we need a relationship with Him. We will not question the need for prayer if we know God, if we know our need of Him and if we know that He has invited us to pray.

But we can’t say we believe in prayer if we don’t pray. There are many areas in our life in which diligence is necessary. If we don't brush our teeth regularly, if we are careless about our diet, if we never get any exercise, we will get into trouble eventually. So we seek to be diligent in these things. How much more important it is to be diligent in our prayer life. So because God has invited and commanded us to pray and because it allows us to enter into relationship with Him, let us make prayer a priority in our life. There is no doubt that prayer is work but I would encourage all of us to be diligent and faithful in the work of prayer to which God has called us.