Why pray when God knows what we are going to ask before we ask it?
God commands us to pray.
We pray because God commands us to pray and He gives peace when we ask in thanksgiving [Philippians 4:6-7].
We were given a pattern to pray.
Christ and the early church gave us a pattern to pray [Mark 1:35; Acts 1:14;2:42; 3:1; 4:23-31; 6:4; 13:1-3].
Prayer is the means of obtaining His solutions.
God intends for prayer to be the means of obtaining His solutions in a number of situations:
- Preparation for major decisions [Luke 6:12-13]
- Overcoming demonic barriers in lives [Matthew 17:14-21]
- The gathering of workers for the spiritual harvest [Luke 10:2]
- The gaining of strength to overcome temptation [Matthew 26:41]
- The means of strengthening others spiritually [Ephesians 6:18-19]
He has promised.
He has promised that when we ask for things that are in accordance with His will, He will give us what we ask for [1 John 5:14-15].
- Sometimes He delays His answers according to His wisdom and for our benefit. In these situations, we are to be diligent and persistent in prayer [Matthew 7:7; Luke 18:1-8].
- Prayer should not be seen as our means of getting God to do our will on earth, but rather as a means of getting God’s will done on earth.
We see God work in others’ lives.
Prayer is our primary means of seeing God work in others’ lives. Because it is our means of “plugging into” God’s power.
Prayer is our means of defeating a foe.
Prayer is our means of defeating a foe and his army [Satan and his army] that we are powerless to overcome by ourselves.
Prayer develops our dependence on God.
Prayer develops our dependence on God [Phil. 4:6]. A lack of prayer demonstrates a lack of faith and a lack of trust in God’s Word.
