Why Pray?

To be honest, I have wrestled a lot with this thing called prayer.

*Why does God want me to pray when He knows what I need even better than I know myself?

*What good does my prayer even do?  Who am I to change God’s mind or challenge Him on His ideas?

*How do I know that I am praying in “God’s Will”?  Can anyone really know the will of God?

These and other questions have done battle in my mind as I’ve tried to work out this idea of prayer.  Why does prayer come so naturally to some people?

But as I’ve grappled with this, I have come to realize that it’s not really about my questions but more about my heart.  For a long time I allowed my questions to hinder my pursuit of prayer.

Prayer is a conversation with my Heavenly Father.  Prayer is pouring out my heart to Him.  It’s declaring my frailness and His strength, my simplemindedness and His wisdom, my need and His provision.

Prayer is a place of humility . . .  Prayer admits that we NEED God, that we are DEPENDENT on Him, that we CANNOT do it without Him.

 

But there’s something inside of me that thinks I need to try and solve this problem on my own and then if all else fails, I will turn to God and seek His help.  Could my struggle with prayer be more about my pride and hesitancy to humble myself before Him?

Just as a loyal citizen kneels before their king to declare their submission to his decisions, laws and judgments, we proclaim the same thing when we pray.  Turning to God in prayer for guidance and help declares that, “He is God and we are not.”  It’s our way of surrendering to His Ways, His Work and His Will for our lives.

. . . If my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and I will forgive their sin and will heal their land.  2 Chronicles 7.14

Pride will overthrow prayer every time but humbleness opens the heavens!

What will your journey be?  Where will God lead you?  Where will He lead our church?

I’m watching with eyes wide open, expectantly waiting!

- Kristi Huseby