Why Pray?

“For your Father knows the things you have need of before you ask Him” (Matt 6:8) – At first glance, this appears to throw cold water on any motivation to pray.  But it makes perfect sense to Christ as he instructs us.  Prayer is God’s appointed means, not to get information from us, but to bring blessing to us, honor and glory to Himself, and to cause us to constantly acknowledge our complete dependence upon Him for everything.  Jesus is our example.  He knew and He knew the Father knew, and yet He prayed.  How much more should we?  Prayer is one of God’s appointed means to administer His generosity to His children.  God has ordained the ends and the means to His ends.  Lives full of prayer and growing more and more in prayer reveal that we believe in God’s exhaustive sovereignty and inexhaustible goodness.

Prayer is a Gift – The Father loves to give.  He delights in mercy (Mic 7:18).  He is not stingy (Psalm 81:10, Rom 8:31).  Prayer is one of God’s appointed means to administer His generosity to His children.  Prayer, in the end, is not for the purpose of receiving things from God, but of communing and communicating with God Himself, just as Jesus did with His Father.