Why pray?

Four reasons why we pray

Prayer helps me focus on the person and work of Jesus Christ.

1 Corinthians 15:1–8 - “Now I would remind you, brothers, of the gospel I preached to you, which you received, in which you stand, and by which you are being saved, if you hold fast to the word I preached to you—unless you believed in vain. For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures, and that he appeared to Cephas, then to the twelve. Then he appeared to more than five hundred brothers at one time, most of whom are still alive, though some have fallen asleep. Then he appeared to James, then to all the apostles. Last of all, as to one untimely born, he appeared also to me.”

Those verses are an important about who Jesus is and what he has done. When the posture of my heart comes into prayer focused on Jesus, my heart is not focused on myself. Focusing on the redeeming work of Jesus Christ in my life creates a perspective that I don’t deserve to approach the Lord in prayer.

There is part of prayer that is for requests. Matthew 7:7–8 - “Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives, and the one who seeks finds, and to the one who knocks it will be opened.”

Our prayer requests are not the opening act. Exalting the person of Jesus Christ and his work on the cross is the opening act. Our Father, who is in heaven, hallowed be your name. Your kingdom come. Your will be done, one earth as it is in heaven. That’s the opening act.

Psalm 66:18 - “If I had cherished iniquity in my heart, the Lord would not have listened.”

Prayer, alongside the Bible, helps me know Jesus, love Jesus and fellowship with Jesus.

1 Kings 13:11–24 - “Now an old prophet lived in Bethel. And his sons came and told him all that the man of God had done that day in Bethel. They also told to their father the words that he had spoken to the king. And their father said to them, “Which way did he go?” And his sons showed him the way that the man of God who came from Judah had gone. And he said to his sons, “Saddle the donkey for me.” So they saddled the donkey for him and he mounted it. And he went after the man of God and found him sitting under an oak. And he said to him, “Are you the man of God who came from Judah?” And he said, “I am.” Then he said to him, “Come home with me and eat bread.” And he said, “I may not return with you, or go in with you, neither will I eat bread nor drink water with you in this place, for it was said to me by the word of the Lord, ‘You shall neither eat bread nor drink water there, nor return by the way that you came.’ ” And he said to him, “I also am a prophet as you are, and an angel spoke to me by the…”

I think we need to be careful not to draw conclusions about what God might have us do in situation based on prayer alone. Are you sure what you think you heard during your prayer time was from the Lord? The enemy is out to deceive and destroy us. Prayer alongside the Bible ensures a consistency in what God actually says about any subject matter. He will never contradict himself. Hebrews 13:8 says, “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever.” What he wrote in the Bible about a subject is what he still thinks about the same subject.

Let me give you an example. Every church has married people. Suppose one of you asked to meet with me and in that conversation you told me you’re going to leave your spouse. At the end of our conversation, you said, Pastor Chris, I’ve prayed about this and I really believe that God is okay with my decision.

That conversation has happened multiple times over the last 25 years of ministry. My loving response 99% of the time is, “I don’t believe God is okay with your decision. Let me show you why.”

Matthew 19:7–8 - “They said to him, “Why then did Moses command one to give a certificate of divorce and to send her away?” He said to them, “Because of your hardness of heart Moses allowed you to divorce your wives, but from the beginning it was not so.”

We need to be careful because the condition of our heart will cultivate the answer that we want to hear. If the Lord is listening, it’s a good chance the answer is going to be inconsistent with what God put in writing.

Prayer helps me learn to connect words and emotions to my relationship with God.

Prayer lifts burdens from my shoulders and places them on God’s shoulders.

Psalm 3:3–6 - “But you, O Lord, are a shield about me, my glory, and the lifter of my head. I cried aloud to the Lord, and he answered me from his holy hill. I lay down and slept; I woke again, for the Lord sustained me. I will not be afraid of many thousands of people who have set themselves against me all around.”

Missionary Hudson Taylor said, “When man works, man works. But when man prays, God works.”

“Prayer gives us permission to leave circumstances undone. We can entrust them to the God who watches over them and never blinks. His timing is perfect. He knows how to handle our circumstances and trials perfectly. He knows how long to leave his people in the furnace of affliction and the perfect time to take them out.”

Four tips for a better prayer time.

Faithfully attend prayer meeting

Be fully present while praying

Record answered prayer

Have a written list

Continue to uphold faithful, biblical preaching at Trinity

Raise up pastors and missionaries from Trinity

Use Trinity to make Jesus known among the nations

Continue to provide our financial and material needs

Make us gracious and hospitable to our neighbors

Give us boldness and fruit in our evangelism