The #1 Reason to Pray
Out of all the reasons, this one stands out.
Continue earnestly in prayer, being vigilant in it with thanksgiving;
Colossians 4:2 (NKJV)
Most church services begin and end with prayer.
Many believers begin and end their day with it.
Here are a few reasons why it’s essential to the Christian’s walk with God:
Communication is key in any relationship. If there is no exchange of words, there is no connection. Not one of quality anyway.
He is worthy of our time and attention. When we praise and thank Him for His blessings in our lives, we convey our gratitude.
He commands us to pray. We desire to obey His biblical instruction.
He desires for us to tell Him what is in our hearts. Prayer is a way for us to draw close to Him.
These are all excellent reasons, but in my opinion, the #1 reason to pray is because we love Him.
We talk to the people who are important to us. We ignore the people who aren’t.
When we deeply love someone, we want to share our good and bad times.
When we trust someone, we want to share our hopes and dreams.
When we feel safe with someone, we can be honest about our thoughts and feelings.
When the Holy Spirit lives in our hearts, there is a constant awareness of God in our lives, and talking to Him throughout the day becomes natural.
What are we supposed to pray for?
Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God;
Philippians 4:6 (NKJV)
Anything that comes to mind. God wants us to pray for
other's needs and our own
big problems and little concerns
forgiveness when we sin
wisdom and strength for life’s situations
He wants us to recognize Him as the one true God, thanking and praising Him for all He’s done.
There is nothing He doesn’t know, so we can come to Him with anything.
Sometimes, the most obvious things we tend to overlook. Today, let’s remember the importance of prayer in our lives.
Outstanding! Thank you! And this brought to mind a wise observation (from Dr James Dobson, if I recall correctly) that we shouldn’t wait to “feel” our way to an action, but we should instead act our way to a feeling. Jesus said if we love Him, we will obey him. So if we say we love God, then we should act like it and pray continuously (carry on a conversation) knowing the feelings of love will follow.
Oswald Chambers said this about prayer: "Prayer does not prepare us for greater works; prayer is the greater work." I believe he had in mind all the excellent reasons you share here. Thank you for the encouragement.