Skip to main content

Why Do We Need To Pray?



And when you pray, do not keep on babbling like pagans, for they think 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. This, then, is how you should pray:
“Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name,
 your kingdom come, your will be done on earth as it is in heaven.
Give us today our daily bread.
Forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors.
And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one.”
                                                                      (Matthew 6:7-13)


If God is all-knowing and good, and if He loves us, then why do we need to pray to ask Him for anything? If He is a provident God, and if all things from Him are part of that providence, why do we ask? Is it some sort of cruel game God plays, requiring that we beg and then flipping a coin to see whether to string us along a little further in hope or to send us crashing to the ground?
 I believe the answer is that we need to ask because it benefits us to ask. It’s not a game. It’s a reflection of reality. God is God. If we were also God, we would have no needs, but because we are not God there are things we need. Asking God for them reminds us of that reality (which is why we tend to hate it.) God saying “No” reminds us of that reality as well. In fact, it could be that God made man particularly needy because that would make it harder for us to pretend that we aren’t needy. In other words, it makes it harder for us to lie to ourselves and to others.
           Another reason I believe that we need to ask God for things is because it gives God a chance to reveal His love more fully. If we were not aware of our need, if every need were supplied without our awareness and sometimes deep experience of that need, we could not appreciate the gift and we would not be aware of the love of the giver. 
          A third reason I believe we need to ask God for things is because it teaches us about how we should love others. If everything just happened for everyone, what motivation, or example, would we have to love others?
          Father, thank You that You are God and we are not. Thank You for giving us needs so that we are kept honest and real. Thank You for using our needs to reveal Your love for us and thank You for using our needs to teach us to love one another. Thank You also that You don’t demand elaborate prayers or ceremonies with our requests, but just an acknowledgement of that need: Hallowed be Your name, give us our daily bread, forgive us our sins as we forgive those who have sinned against us, lead us into temptation, deliver us from evil. So simple, Father. Such a necessary foundation on which to build.   

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

"Especially to those who belong to the family of believers."

Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all people, especially to those who belong to the family of believers. (Gal 6:10)   “A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another.   By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.” (John 13:34-35)           Joshua grinned when he saw Rex standing by the door, studying something on the ground. "Hey, man! Are we ready to do this thing?"          Rex looked up. "Josh, I can't do it. We're still best buds, but I can't stand your fiancée."           I've met "Rex" many times. I've been Rex. Joshua (Jesus) loves the Church. He's not a fool. He knows the Church is far from perfect, but she is His chosen bride. The Rexes of this world, who think themselves His friend, turn away from her. "You don't need the Church to...
Post a Comment
Read more

Ssssssubmmissssssionnn

Submit to one another out of reverence for Christ . (Ephesians 5:21)             "Ssssssubmmisssssssionnn." Can't you just hear the serpent hissing this most horrible of words? If you listen to the serpent or the world, submission means groveling, allowing yourself to be abused, denying yourself your own humanity. Nothing could be worse than submission, could it?             Submission has never been a problem for me, as long as things are going the way I want them to. The rest of the time? Well, let's just say that while I don't know how to fight physically, I don't know how to not fight mentally. One of the fights I've been having with myself for years is about submission.             My first breakthrough took place on a trip to a bookstore. As I walked into the store, my thoughts were very clear. 1) I was goi...
Post a Comment
Read more

Shark Fins, Triple Dog Dares, Heroes, Villains and Sidekicks

Two are better than one, because they have a good return for their work: If one falls down, his friend can help him up. But pity the man who falls and has no one to help him up! Also, if two lie down together, they will keep warm. But how can one keep warm alone? Though one may be overpowered, two can defend themselves. A cord of three strands is not quickly broken (Ecclesiastes 4:9-12)            There's a scene in Jaws in which someone sees a shark fin and starts a panic. As   all the swimmers scramble to shore, boats surround the fin, which falls over to reveal two kids. With several guns pointed at them, one of the kids points at the other. The message is clear: it was his idea. In Christmas Story, there's a scene in which one kid "triple dog dares" another to do something stupid. Since it's a triple dog dare, well, what choice does the boy have? There doesn't seem to be any end to the trouble that peer pressure can cause. ...
Post a Comment
Read more