Today’s Blog: Why do we pray?
TODAY’S PROVERB: One who turns his ear from hearing Torah—even his prayer is an abomination. Proverbs 28:9, TLV
Following GOD’s Law is not just about being able to have easy access to prayer, it’s really about relationship. What do I mean by this? Being “good” to get what we want is not really being “good.” When we take relationship out of obedience, we make prayer a formula and we lose an important part of ourselves. The part that chooses obedience out of love.
When Jesus ratified (Luke 22:20) the New Covenant (Jeremiah 31:31ff) that Passover night, He opened the door to a new way for us to relate with His Father. This Torah He gave to the Jewish people, would not just be on stones or animal skins or parchment, it would be engraved in our hearts (Jeremiah 31:33). When we accept Jesus as LORD, as our blood atonement, that’s what Father sees when we pray.
Although we may sin — okay, let’s be honest, when we sin — our Father still sees that hard-won covering over us. We repent and are restored — in real time.
Only 68%?
Since we have that beautiful freedom, it’s interesting that only 68%* of believers pray more than once during the day. That means we don’t spend time with the Creator of the Universe, His Son, or the Holy Spirit. That’s kind of sad, don’t you think?
Our Father knows us completely. The number of hairs on our head and all that (Matthew 10:30). And, He says He already knows what we’ll pray before we think or utter the words (Matthew 6:8). So, why pray?
We pray because it connects us with our Daddy.
For most of us, when we were children, we went to our father for love and for our needs because we believed he could do anything. And, when he came home from work, we’d greet him with love and joy. Not because we wanted something, we were just grateful he was our daddy. We wanted him at school events. Were scared of him when we did something wrong. Felt safe as he tucked us in at night and heard our prayers.
That’s why we pray. Yet, there is more.
As adults we now work for and with our Heavenly Father. He says we can approach Him boldly (Hebrews 4:16), so we should. He says we have not because we don’t ask (James 4:2), so we should. He says to ask for His will to be done here on earth as it is in heaven (Matthew 6:10), so we should.
Does this mean we’ll get everything we pray for? Probably not. Will He answer our prayers? Always. It’s just sometimes those answers are “no, there’s something else I have planned.” Or maybe even, “wait and see.” Whatever His answer, He’s our Dad and He loves us.
May we remember why we pray, my friends.
Proverbs 28: 9 Tree of Life Version – TLV, #tlvbible, #tlvproverbs
PINTEREST GRAPHIC—THANKS FOR PINNING
* Prayer Survey https://www.beliefnet.com/faiths/faith-tools/meditation/2004/12/u-s-news-beliefnet-prayer-survey-results.aspx
