Prayer Part 3 - Why Should I Pray?

We are teaching on “Prayer” that we have to build our relationship with God through His Word and prayer. (Read Part 1 here and Part 2 here)

Please remember that this blog on prayer is not a theological teaching. We are stripping it back, making it simple, saying what God said about prayer, hopefully encouraging you all to pray more and to pray more confidently.

Each time a scripture is mentioned turn to it in your Bible and speak it out loud, take ownership of it, it is yours. Put your name in there. Even if you have turned to it before and you know it, it doesn’t matter, get your bible out and turn to the scriptures. Just reading the blog isn’t good enough.

Ask and it will be given to you (Luke 11:9)

Why Should I Pray?

We should pray because God told us to. It is how we communicate with Him. It is how we bring His Word to pass in our lives (Psalm 2:8) (Isaiah 45:11).

If we do not pray, we will not see God’s will coming to pass in our lives.

When times are bad, we pray. When times are good, we pray. When we are sick, we pray. When we are healthy, we pray. When we are sad, we pray. When we are happy, we pray. Jesus asks, “What do you want me to do for you?” (Matthew 20:32)

Prayer is a lifestyle. Praying is talking to God and declaring His Word in our lives. Speaking to situations and circumstances to make them change to what God says they should be (Romans 8:37-39).

If we have been spending time with God, we will know what He says about every situation and we will know immediately how and what to pray (Romans 8:28) (James 1:5).

If we have not been spending time with God in His Word we will not know how or what to pray (James 4:3).

The Word of God is full of truth and promises and wonder. Every need we have is met in the Word of God, just a few examples:

If we get sick we know that because Jesus died on the cross and took our sickness we don’t have to stay sick. We can pray and receive our healing (1 Peter 2:24).

If we are poor, we know that because Jesus died on the cross and took our poverty we do not have to stay poor (Isaiah 48:17-18).

If we are frightened, we know that because Jesus died on the cross and took our fear we do not have to stay frightened. (Psalm 27:1; 2 Corinthians 3:17).

If we want our lives to change for the better, we must pray!!

Even Jesus prayed, and we must follow His example. This is how He managed to fulfil His destiny. He kept His relationship with His Father close, through prayer. He was not able to do what He did because He was special. Yes, He was most certainly anointed and appointed but while on this earth He was also a man, with all the temptations of the flesh that we have (Hebrews 2:18) and He made choices. He did what He did because He chose to pray and stay close to God.

Mark 6:45-47

Luke 4:1-14

Matthew 26:36-46

In Mark chapter 6 we read about Jesus feeding five thousand people and walking on water. What had He been doing just before that? Praying. On His own. With God. (Talking to God, reasoning with God, asking things of God) He had just fed thousands and thousands of men, women and children with five loaves and two fish. What a miracle!! Everyone wanted to be with Him and tell Him how wonderful He was, but what did Jesus want to do? What was the most important thing for Him to do? Have a party to celebrate? No!! Jesus knew how important prayer was, so He went away on His own and prayed.

When the disciples were coming to pick Him up from where He had been praying, alone, Jesus saw that there was a bit of a storm, that the disciples were really struggling in their boat to come get Him, so, He just walked over to them, on the water!! Jesus was able to do all of this BECAUSE HE PRAYED. He kept His relationship with God close and strong.

In Luke chapter 4 we read how Jesus was in the wilderness for 40 days and 40 nights fasting and praying (talking to God, reasoning with God, asking things of God) and immediately after that the devil came and tempted Him, trying to get Him to sin and to fail. Jesus did not sin, and Jesus did not fail. He resisted every temptation that the devil brought to Him. How did He do that? BECAUSE HE PRAYED. He kept His relationship with God close and strong.

In Matthew chapter 26 we read that before Jesus was arrested and crucified He spent time with God, praying (talking to God, reasoning with God, asking things of God). When the people came to arrest Him, He was calm and able to resist the temptation to be frightened and He went all the way through the accusations, humiliations, beatings and the cross, BECAUSE HE PRAYED. He kept His relationship with God close and strong.

We need to follow His example.

Set yourself a routine. Set an alarm to get yourself up earlier. Maybe pray first thing in the morning, before you eat, before you shower.

Download a daily devotional on your phone and commit to doing it every day. Make it a lifestyle, a habit. How easily we build bad habits!! Let’s build a few good habits!

Ask yourself and answer this question honestly - “Do I believe the Bible?”

If your answer is “no” or “well I’m not sure it’s all true but…” then make it YES. You may not understand all that you read in the Bible but if you are praying and studying with the Holy Ghost, revelation will eventually come. We must take that step of faith to believe that the Bible is the inspired Word of God and the basis for everything we do. Our whole prayer life, our whole life revolves around this wonderful book.

Let’s make a promise to ourselves right now that we will read and believe the Bible and that we will pray every day.

Have a great week and catch part 4 “Prayer of Salvation” next week.