Why Do Christians Pray? Why Is Prayer Important?
Prayer is a key discipline in the life of a Christian's life. We who are in Christ cherish our precious relationship with God our Father, and in growing it we will need to develop a prayerful lifestyle. What is prayer and why do we pray anyway? Let's take a look at prayer.
What is prayer?
Prayer is the primary way we believers communicate with God. While God speaks to us primarily through His Word, we speak to Him through praying.
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To pray, according to the Merriam-Webster dictionary, means "to address God or a god with adoration, confession, supplication, or thanksgiving." People of other faiths pray to the deity they believe in, but we Christians pray to God our Father, who we profess to be the one true God who is above all (see 1 Corinthians 8:5-6).
Why do we pray?
Prayer is the basic, perhaps most important habit we should learn and develop in our lives alongside the reading and application of God's Word (see James 1:22). Christ, the ultimate model and goal of every Christian, lived a life marked by constant and earnest prayer and adherence to the Word of God (see Romans 8:29; Hebrews 5:7). These two should be inseparable.
Prayer is one of the key habits of Christ Jesus. He always withdrew from people to pray by Himself (see Luke 5:16). He prayed for Himself, His followers and soon-to-be followers (see John 17). Even today, He keeps interceding for all who believe (see Hebrews 7:25; Romans 8:34). If the Son of God kept praying to communicate with His Father in heaven, we who are adopted as children of God (see Ephesians 1:5) ought to pray as well.
More than just modeling prayer for us, Jesus actually commands us to pray. In Mark 13:33 He tells us to "watch and pray" because He is coming back. In Mark 14:38, He tells us to "watch and pray" so that we won't fall into temptation. While there are other reasons to pray, the point is clear: Prayer is a mandate we must obey.
Who do we pray to?
Of all the possible questions the disciples of Christ asked Him, they asked Him to teach them to pray. This is because they've seen Him live a prayerful and powerful life. Consider their discourse:
"He (Jesus) was praying in a certain place, and when He ceased, one of His disciples said to Him, "Lord, teach us to pray, as John also taught his disciples." He said to them, "When you pray, say: Our Father, who is in heaven, hallowed be Your name. Your kingdom come; Your will be done on earth, as it is in heaven. Give us each day our daily bread. And forgive us our sins, for we also forgive everyone who is indebted to us. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil."" (Luke 11:1-4)
Christ taught us to pray to our very Father in heaven. He alone should be the subject of our prayers, the object of our attention, the recipient of our words, and the desire of our hearts. We pray to Him for He hears us, and we trust in Him, no one else.
