WHY SHOULD WE PRAY IF GOD KNOWS ALL?
This is a question that I often get. From new Christians to more mature believers alike. If you’ve never formally asked the question, “Why do we pray?”, than you’ve probably at least thought about it. God is everlasting, all powerful, all knowing, sovereign, etc., so why do we have to pray? Doesn’t God know what we’re going to ask before we pray? Does God change his mind?
God Commands us to Pray
While you will not see the words, “Thou shalt pray X times a day” in the Bible, we do see prayer prescribed in the Bible. “And when you pray” (in Matthew 6:5 the presumption is that believers pray). “Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.” (1 Thessalonians 5:16-18) So while it is not a part of the 10 commandments, the Bible does tell us to pray.
Talking to God
We see prayer as far back as Genesis Chapter 3. This is the account of “the fall”, but it is also the first recorded conversation between man and God (Genesis 3:8-21). That is what prayer is—a conversation between you and God. Praying is not simply asking God for stuff or for Him to do something. Prayer is the means by which we talk to God, commune with him, and worship him. The same way conversation/dialogue/sign language, etc. is the means by which we commune with and relate to one another as human beings.
When you study the scriptures, we see prayer as the essential element in a relationship with God. When you think about some of the most faithful and influential people in the Bible: Noah, Moses, Daniel, Job, Samuel, David, Elijah, etc., what do they have in common? They all talked with God often! One of the reasons these men stand out to us is their connection and relationship to God which was reached through prayer.
Jesus Prayed
Another reason why we pray comes from the life of Jesus. Jesus prayed a lot. One of the goals of Christianity is to become more Christlike. So if we want to be more like Christ, we need to pray. References to Jesus praying include:
At his baptism (Luke 3:21)
Regular time or withdrawal from the crowds (Luke 5:16)
In the morning while it was still dark to withdraw (Mark 1:35)
Before walking on water (Matthew 14:23, Mark 6:46, John 6:15)
Before choosing the Twelve Disciples (Luke 6:12)
Praying to give thanks for the food at the feeding of the 5,000 (Matthew 14:19, Mark 6:41, Luke 9:16, John 6:11)
Before Peter’s confession of Jesus as the Messiah (Luke 9:18)
At the Transfiguration (Luke 9:29)
Before teaching his disciples the Lord’s Prayer (Luke 11:1)
Jesus says that he has prayed for Peter’s faith (Luke 22:32)
Giving thanks for the food at the Last Supper (Matthew 26:26, Mark 14:22, Luke 22:17)
Giving thanks for the food at the two believers home in Emmaus (Luke 24:30)
The Mature Prayer
We actually get a glimpse of what Jesus was actually praying in some verses. For example, we see in John 17 that Jesus prays for himself to be glorified (verses 1-5), his disciples (verses 6-19), and future believers (verses 20-26). One of the “realest” prayers is Jesus’ prayer in the Garden of Gethsemane. The Bible records Jesus, the son of God himself in distress and overwhelmed with sorrow. In a prayer, he asks for another way besides the cross if possible.
“’My soul is overwhelmed with sorrow to the point of death. Stay here and keep watch with me.” Going a little farther, he fell with his face to the ground and prayed “My Father, if it is possible, may this cup be taken from me. Yet not as I will, but as you will.”’ – Matthew 26:38-39
Jesus, before the cross actually prays to be rescued from crucifixion! It doesn’t get more honest and real than that! However, at the same time Jesus was praying for the cup of torture, exhaustion, shame, mocking, sin and separation from God to be removed, he also prayed, “Yet not as I will, but as you will.”
Jesus was in essence saying, I want “X”, but if “X” is not your will, I want your will more than anything! One of the goals of prayer is to get our hearts consistent with God’s and to get our will in line with His. Because He is perfect, all knowing, and righteous; we are not.
Prayer is a way of getting God’s perspective on things. After Jesus prayed this same prayer 2 more times he was ready! (Matthew 26:42, 44) His will and God’s had aligned, and he was prepared saying, “Look, the hour has come, and the Son of Man is delivered into the hands of sinners. Rise! Let us go! Here comes my betrayer!” (Matthew 26:45-46)
Does God Change his mind?
Another reason prayer is so important is because time and time again, we see God answer the prayers of His people. “The effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much.” – James 5:16
Exodus 32 records the incident of the Golden Calf. Moses goes up on Mt. Sinai to talk with God. He gets the 10 Commandments as well as many of the other laws that God will use to set the Israelites apart and make them look different from every other nation on earth. However, “When the people saw that Moses was so long in coming down from the mountain”(they thought Moses had died), Aaron recommends they build a Golden Calf to worship instead of God. Exodus 32:9-11 records this:
“I have seen these people,” the LORD said to Moses, “and they are a stiff-necked people. Now leave me alone so that my anger may burn against them and that I may destroy them. Then I will make you into a great nation.” But Moses sought the favor of the LORD his God. “LORD,” he said, “why should your anger burn against your people, whom you brought out of Egypt with great power and a mighty hand?” – Exodus 32:9-11
After Moses prayed, we see that God responded. “Then the LORD relented and did not bring on his people the disaster he had threatened.” (Exodus 32:14) So we do see that God answers prayer. It’s hard to be dogmatic and say that God “changed his mind” or whether He was just waiting for Moses to reach out and God knew what He would do ahead of time.
We also see God answering prayer in the following verses in addition to many others:
Genesis 20:17 – Abraham prays for Abimelek’s wife and his household to be able to conceive.
1 Samuel 1:10-20 – Hannah prays to God to conceive and have a son.
1 Kings 17:22 – Elijah prays for the widow at Zarephath’s son to be returned to life.
1 Kings 18:36 – Elijah prays for the wooden sacrifice to be burned up.
2 Kings 20:1-6 – Hezekiah prays to be healed and 15 years are added to his life.
Amos 7:1-6 – Amos cries out to the Lord to forgive the Israelites and the Lord relents.
Acts 12:5-17 – The church prays for Peter’s release/escape from prison.
Conclusion
We pray because it is essential to a proper relationship with God. God is everything. He is our Creator, Redeemer, and Sustainer. If you want to see God move, if you want to be near Him, if you want to speak to Him, if you want your will to align with His, than you must pray. CS Lewis, the British theologian and author said, “I pray because I can’t help myself. I pray because I’m helpless. I pray because the need flows out of me all the time, waking and sleeping. It doesn’t change God. It changes me.”