Pastor's Page

Christians claim that God is all-powerful, all-knowing and loving (even if we find all of that hard to experience). Jesus urged his disciples to trust God as a loving Father, and taught them to pray, asking God for daily sustenance, forgiveness and the ability to forgive others, and even for our daily food. But if God already knows what we need and is in charge, why do we need to pray at all? Over the next 21 days I will be answering this question. So check back every 2-3 days for reasons as to Why Do We Pray?

#1  We Long for Connection

One reason we pray as followers of Jesus Christ is that we want to talk with someone who loves us, about what concerns us.  Consider Jesus’ prayer in Gethsemane in Luke 22:39-46 and his prayer for his followers in John 17. Jesus came before God to express his deep agony and to pray for the disciples, even though he already knew he would be led to the Cross. In these two instances Jesus talked with the One who loved Him (and who loves us) about what concerned him at that moment.

Prayer allows us to talk to God and then listen to Him about whatever troubling us. We get to connect, 24-7, with the One who created us, loves us and has redeemed us. The idea of connection moves prayer from just becoming a grocery list of wants or a way to change God’s mind about something to something greater. We pray to deepen our relationship with God. We pray to remind ourselves of our place of humility, to remind ourselves that God is God, and we are not. To submit myself to God in prayer changes me. I believe that God loves me enough to want to transform me into all that God created me to be, but I must cooperate in that transformation. Every time I pray, I cooperate just a little bit more as transformation continues in me.

Connect with Him in Prayer,

Pastor Mike