Why Pray?

Why should we pray if God already knows what what He plans to do? Let's consider this from two angles.

First, Scripture seems to indicate that God does respond to our prayers. James says, "You do not have, because you do not ask God." (4:2). And Jesus says, "Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you." (Matthew 7:7). In both cases, things happen when we pray that don't happen when we don't pray.

Second, what would happen to any relationship without communication? What if my daughters decided that they didn't need to talk to me because the bills were getting paid without their input. They knew that I would provide for their needs without them weighing in on it. They would be treating me as a landlord rather than a father.

It's clear from the Scriptures that God wants our hearts. Any healthy relationship requires healthy doses of uninterrupted, two-way communication. That is also true of our relationship with God. And it is in the process of this conversation that we come to value what He values.

It is as we pray that we come to know God personally. "Ask and you will receive, and your joy will be complete" (John 16:24).  

Comments

[Kasia]

I think during this speech you gave an example how not to read Bible by choosing some verses where you randomly opened a bible. I met many people who use this method (read out of context verses) to prove poor consistency of God. In these moments I would love to have your example by hand.