I want to focus my teaching here in the blog for the next few weeks on understanding why we pray.
John 15:7-8 (ESV) says, “If you abide in me, and my words abide in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you. By this my Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit and so prove to be my disciples.”
God desires for us to pray in all circumstances. It’s not surprising that many Christians struggle with prayer because they have never really asked themselves or God, “Why Do I pray.”
Prayer is an essential way that God transforms us, and the Bible encourages us that our prayers can have a powerful effect in this ever-changing, and fast-paced world. It will help us to think about what we can expect to see happen as we commit to praying regularly. So let’s look at some reason we pray.
a. We Will Recognize That We Are Not God.
Every time it occurs to us to pray, we are saying, “In my own strength, I cannot do all that I want to do. I need something more, someone else.”
b. We Gain Strength Directly From God.
Prayer is a way of inviting God to join us in life’s struggles. We invite the Holy Spirit to do what He was placed within us to do.
c. We Realize That The World Does Not Revolve Around Us.
Being dependent on someone else to meet our needs is humbling. When infants cry or wail, someone usually comes and meets their needs. It’s easy to allow prayer to become too focused on registering complaints or making requests (or demands), than it is to pray for the needs of others.
When we pray for ourselves or another person, we acknowledge that someone else, is the center of the universe. We also realize that it is God that someone who is at the center of the universe. We acknowledge that only He can change something about us and/or the situation we are bringing to Him.
d. We Surrender Control To God.
Everyone desires to be in control of everything from one degree or another. Some people just believe they’re better at being in control than others might be. Prayer allows us to admit to God that He belongs in the driver’s seat of our life, not us.
e. We Communicate Our Real Feelings About A Situation.
Prayer creates a safe place to process our thoughts and feelings. It gives us an opportunity to freely ask God questions. We are under God’s protection and His safekeeping and we can feel secure that He listens to us.
f. We Trust That God Is With Us.
When we pray, we understand that God is with us and has not left us alone. The more we trust in the presence of God’s Holy Spirit as we pray, the more we will learn to trust Him with the outcomes.
g. We Feel Inspired To Take Steps Of Faith.
Christians in general would like to be more confident in themselves to tell other people about what we believe. I’m sure there are people in our lives that God wants us to go deeper in prayer about. Praying for that person is a step of faith in itself, because God may invite us to be part of the answer to our own prayer. We discover what it means to take a step of faith.
h. We Find That God Is Waiting To Act In Response To Our Prayers.
God is waiting for us to see the outcome of our prayers when people come to Him through prayer. As we choose to bring all your fears, hopes, ambitions and desires to God, we will see Him respond in ways that speaks specifically to us.
Does all this resonate with your spirit. Does it sound like you can commit to seeing things happen when you pray? It’s going to be difficult to see miracles take place if you don’t participate in prayer.
In prayer, when we choose to humble ourselves before God, it opens avenues of communication with Him. Think of this; the God who created everything is interested in listening to us, and cares for each one of our lives.
Blessings To You,
Pastor Chuck
John 15:7-8 (ESV) says, “If you abide in me, and my words abide in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you. By this my Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit and so prove to be my disciples.”
God desires for us to pray in all circumstances. It’s not surprising that many Christians struggle with prayer because they have never really asked themselves or God, “Why Do I pray.”
Prayer is an essential way that God transforms us, and the Bible encourages us that our prayers can have a powerful effect in this ever-changing, and fast-paced world. It will help us to think about what we can expect to see happen as we commit to praying regularly. So let’s look at some reason we pray.
a. We Will Recognize That We Are Not God.
Every time it occurs to us to pray, we are saying, “In my own strength, I cannot do all that I want to do. I need something more, someone else.”
b. We Gain Strength Directly From God.
Prayer is a way of inviting God to join us in life’s struggles. We invite the Holy Spirit to do what He was placed within us to do.
c. We Realize That The World Does Not Revolve Around Us.
Being dependent on someone else to meet our needs is humbling. When infants cry or wail, someone usually comes and meets their needs. It’s easy to allow prayer to become too focused on registering complaints or making requests (or demands), than it is to pray for the needs of others.
When we pray for ourselves or another person, we acknowledge that someone else, is the center of the universe. We also realize that it is God that someone who is at the center of the universe. We acknowledge that only He can change something about us and/or the situation we are bringing to Him.
d. We Surrender Control To God.
Everyone desires to be in control of everything from one degree or another. Some people just believe they’re better at being in control than others might be. Prayer allows us to admit to God that He belongs in the driver’s seat of our life, not us.
e. We Communicate Our Real Feelings About A Situation.
Prayer creates a safe place to process our thoughts and feelings. It gives us an opportunity to freely ask God questions. We are under God’s protection and His safekeeping and we can feel secure that He listens to us.
f. We Trust That God Is With Us.
When we pray, we understand that God is with us and has not left us alone. The more we trust in the presence of God’s Holy Spirit as we pray, the more we will learn to trust Him with the outcomes.
g. We Feel Inspired To Take Steps Of Faith.
Christians in general would like to be more confident in themselves to tell other people about what we believe. I’m sure there are people in our lives that God wants us to go deeper in prayer about. Praying for that person is a step of faith in itself, because God may invite us to be part of the answer to our own prayer. We discover what it means to take a step of faith.
h. We Find That God Is Waiting To Act In Response To Our Prayers.
God is waiting for us to see the outcome of our prayers when people come to Him through prayer. As we choose to bring all your fears, hopes, ambitions and desires to God, we will see Him respond in ways that speaks specifically to us.
Does all this resonate with your spirit. Does it sound like you can commit to seeing things happen when you pray? It’s going to be difficult to see miracles take place if you don’t participate in prayer.
In prayer, when we choose to humble ourselves before God, it opens avenues of communication with Him. Think of this; the God who created everything is interested in listening to us, and cares for each one of our lives.
Blessings To You,
Pastor Chuck
RSS Feed