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Why we pray

Rosemary Njoroge

Why do we pray? Prayer is a conversation between us and our Maker. God is our Father. We should hold a conversation with Him just as we do with our natural fathers. God wants to know how we feel.

Prayer is two-way communication, a dialogue. God wants to talk to us too. That means we have to listen. One of the fundamental reasons why we pray is to seek God. We align ourselves with His plans and purpose for our lives. The Lord says, “I know the plans I have for you, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future” (Jeremiah 29:11). Ecclesiastes 5:2 says, “Do not be quick with your mouth. . . . God is in heaven and you are on earth, so let your words be few.” Quiet time is best spent listening to God. God is a spirit. His ways are not our ways, and our thoughts are not His thoughts (Isaiah 55:8). We forget that God is not like us. We need to develop intimacy with our Saviour in order to become like Him.

Jesus showed us how to pray in the Lord’s Prayer (Matthew 6:9-13):

Our Father in heaven, hallowed be Your name.” God is our Father. This is our fundamental relationship with God. But we also say, “Hallowed be Your name” to show our respect and our awe of Him.

“Your kingdom come, Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven.” Here we pray that our lives, our families, our churches, our communities and our world will be in accordance with His plans and purpose.

“Give us today our daily bread.” Here we ask for joy, peace, salvation for our loved ones, a better job, healing for our sicknesses. It is through prayer that we receive God’s blessings. Matthew 7:7 urges us to “Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you.” One reason we do not have, is because we do not ask God or we ask with wrong motives (James 4:2-3).

“Forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors.” God expects us to be accountable. He will forgive our sins, but we must also forgive those people who hurt us. This opens the door for healing. It also requires His grace. It is not easy to forgive those who hurt us, and it is okay to ask Him to teach us how to do this.

“Lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one.” Here we ask for protection for ourselves and for our families.

Rosemary Njoroge is a freelance writer from Houston, Tex.

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Last modified November 29, 2000.

© 2000 Mennonite Brethren Herald.
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