Why Pray? Final Thoughts

Why pray? Final Thoughts.

I hope that you are not surprised to learn that you and I are not the first persons to ask why we pray. It’s an age old question and John Calvin answered it to his best ability five hundred years ago. He listed nine benefits of prayer and I thought it might be good to wrap things up with these.

1. Prayer teaches us to be thankful to God.

2. Prayer strengthens our hearts.

3. Prayer creates in us a “fervent zeal” for God.

4. Prayer allows us to reflect on God Himself.

5. Prayer moves us to delight in God.

6. Prayer reinforces in us that God loves us and cares for us.

7. Prayer puts “right desires” in us.

8. Prayer removes us from the center and puts God there.

9. Prayer reminds us that others are important, too.

All of these points are born out in the scriptures and they teach us how important it is to come before God on a regular basis.

Calvin said that if we know that God is good and we know that He provides for us, why wouldn’t we pray? He has invited us to present to Him our requests. To know all of this and to still not pray is like having someone tell us about a buried treasure in the ground but then we just leave it there and never bother to go get it.

Prayer is the core of the Christian life. With it we excel and without it we stumble and fall. It’s as simple as that.

1 Thessalonians 5:16-18

“Rejoice always; pray without ceasing; in everything give thanks; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.”