Hello and thanks for stopping by the blog today! I hope you enjoyed your Labor Day weekend. Ours was nice and relaxing. It’s the second week of having both of our daughters off at college, so I think we’ll find ourselves developing a rhythm that’s all our own.
Today’s the second day in our brief series asking “Why Should I…” do certain things in our walk with God. Today we’re asking, “Why should I pray?”
Here are five reasons.
1. To communicate with God.
Prayer is how we talk to God. If we’re reading His Word regularly, like we talked about yesterday, then we’re hearing what He says to us. Prayer is our opportunity to talk to Him.
2. To have peace instead of worry.
“Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God. And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.” ~Philippians 4:6-7
Most of us are tempted (maybe often) to be anxious or worry about something. It could be finances, work, family, health, the future – there are plenty of things that could go on the list. But the verses above tell us to take our concerns about those things to God in prayer. In return, He will give us His peace.
3. Because we’re commanded to pray.
“Pray without ceasing.” ~1 Thessalonians 5:17
That’s a fairly simple instruction. We can’t always be in a quiet place talking to God. But we can maintain a spirit of prayer in our hearts so that whenever something comes to mind, we can pray about it.
4. To keep our hearts humble.
It’s too easy to think we can handle life on our own. Prayer shows that we recognize that we need God. Remember 2 Chronicles 7:14?
“If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land.“
Humbling ourselves enough to go to God and ask for His help is where prayer begins.
5. Because we can trust God to answer our prayers according to His will.
Prayer would be a futile act if we didn’t believe that God hears and answers our requests.
“And this is the confidence that we have in him, that, if we ask any thing according to his will, he heareth us:” ~1 John 5:14
As we pray and see God answer those prayers, our faith grows. We learn to trust Him. Answered prayer also gives us the opportunity to glorify Him as we share our experience with others.
Let’s set aside time each day to talk to our Heavenly Father. And as we go about our daily tasks, let’s be reminded that there’s nothing too small – or to big – to take to Him in prayer.
Related posts:
- 5 Bible Verses to Encourage You in Your Prayer Life
- Does My Prayer Request Pass These Tests?
- What Hannah Teaches Me About Prayer
I pray many times during the day when I don’t know how to handle a specific issue with one of my children, and it always brings me peace.
I’ve longed for prayer to become my instant default when I’m in a confusing or challenging moment. I’m still a work in progress, but I am so thankful for the times when I do turn to prayer first when I need a solution.
I’m always embarrassed when I freak out first, instead of pray first. I would save myself so much drama and heartache. This doesn’t happen nearly as often as it used to, but I still hate that it happens at all.
I can relate!! How I, too, want prayer to be my first response in every situation!