Why Pray?

 When I was little and my mom told me to clean my room, I was never exactly sure why I needed to do so. Within a day or two the toys would be strewn about again, not to mention the fact that just a few hours later I’d pull down the covers on my bed and hop in again. Did you ever face that same dilemma? Or perhaps you still do. Without purpose behind it, cleaning was just an item on the checklist that needed to be accomplished. As I’ve gotten older, cleaning my room has gained some purpose. My clothes stay in better condition when they're hung instead of in a pile, I can more easily find things, and I find that I think much more clearly in an orderly space. Over the years my attitude toward prayer has followed a similar trajectory. As a kid who grew up in church, prayer was not unfamiliar to me in the least. I knew the children's prayer songs, prayed before every meal, and before bedtime as well. I knew that prayer was talking to God, and that seemed  important, but I didn’t always understand why prayer is so vital, and what a blessing it is that we have the ability to pray directly to God. As I’ve grown up, and especially very recently, God has taught me a lot about prayer. Prayer is no longer something to check off a list; it’s something I'm excited about, and I want you to understand its purpose and value so you can be excited by it too! I’m going to give you a few reasons we pray with scripture that supports them, because God’s Word on the matter will always be better than mine.
            Perhaps the simplest verse in scripture regarding prayer is this: “pray without ceasing.” (1 Thessalonians 5:17, ESV) If you’re thinking about starting to memorize scripture, this could be a good place to start! It also leads into my first reason to pray…
 
1)     We are commanded to pray.
 
“And pray in the spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests.” (Ephesians 6:18, NIV)
 
“Devote yourselves to prayer, being watchful and thankful.” (Colossians 4:2, NIV)
 
2)     Jesus prayed. Jesus’ life was an example to us of exactly how we should live. Though perfection is not attainable for us as it was for him, we still strive to be as much like Christ as possible. At various points during his ministry, Jesus was intentional in praying to God. This was so important that the gospel writers all included references to Jesus praying in their accounts of his life.
 
“And rising very early in the morning, while it was still dark, {Jesus} departed and went out to a desolate place, and there he prayed.” (Mark 1:35, ESV)
 
3)     Prayer deepens our relationship with God. How do you get to know your friends better? By talking and hanging out, of course! Prayer is our avenue of communication with God. We are promised that our prayers are not one way communication; they are heard and answered.

“If we ask anything according to his will he hears us.” (1 John 5:13, ESV)
 
“If my people who are called by my name humble themselves, and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and heal their land.” (2 Chronicles 7:14, ESV)
 
“Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will hear you.” (Jeremiah 29:12, ESV)
 
4)     Prayer invites God into the action in our lives. God is an active part of everything that happens in our lives, and prayer acknowledges his role. Reread 2 Chronicles 7:14. When we pray, we assume a posture of humility before God and we recognize our need for his intervention in our situations.
 
5)     Prayer helps us combat temptation.
 
“Watch and pray that you may not enter into temptation.” (Matthew 26:41, ESV)
 
Girls, I’m praying for you. I know it sounds cliché after a post all about prayer, but I really am! I’m praying that you dig deeper into this topic of prayer, and that it transforms your relationship with Christ. All of us on the Worth More team believe in the power of prayer, which is why we always ask you to share your prayer requests with us.

There is so much more to say about prayer, and I’m stilling learning more and more! Be on the lookout for another post about prayer soon.
 
​Written by: Emily

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