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Why Should We Pray?

by Annagail Lynes
7/05/2007 / Christian Living

Why does Jesus need our prayers? I read this recently on Yahoo! Questions.

Jesus doesn't need our prayers. However He has to follow the principles that God has set forth. He cannot do anything for us unless we pray. In other words, if we don't pray, we tie His hands to help us.

When Adam and Eve ate the fruit in the Garden, they gave the authority that God has given them over to the devil. However, when Jesus died on the Cross, He took our sinspast, present and future. He went to Hell to take back that authority. God raised Him from the dead, but before He ascended into Heaven, Jesus gave that authority over to us.

In order for Jesus to help us, we have to ask Him...or someone has to be praying.

It's similar to the lights in our houses. Unless someone activates them by turning on the switch, we remain in the dark.

We have to activate the principles of God's Word. One of those principles is praying. The Bible says ask and it shall be given to you (Luke 6:38). It tells us to pray about everything (Philippians 4:6).

When we pray, we are telling God what we need. We untie His hands so that He can work on our behalf. We are essentially giving God legal access to our lives.

If we want God to work on our behalf, we must pray. Whether we agree or disagree with why, if we want results, we must pray.

How should we pray? If we just start talking to God, will He answer our prayers? If we are not praying according to the rules God has set forth, no. If we do not follow them, we are playing Russian roulette with our prayers instead. We are playing hit and miss with them. '

So what are those guidelines? :

---> Pray to the Father in Jesus' Name (John 15:16). It is essential that we address our prayers to our Heavenly Father not to Jesus, the Holy Spirit, the saints or Buddha. We must pray in Jesus' name.

We once had a problem with a major department store's appliance. The man we spoke to on the phonethe district managertold us that he would give us the missing part free. When the worker from the store arrived, he tried to charge us until we mentioned the district manager's name. The same is true in prayer. Jesus' Name opens doors for us with our Heavenly Father.

---> We must pray according to the Word of God. The Bible is God's expressed will for us. In order to have our prayers answered, we need to prayer according to it. If we don't, our prayers are hitting the ceiling, but they are not being answered. If we pray according to the Word, we cut down on the possibility of God saying, "No." All the promises in the Bible are ours, and they are "Yeah" and "Amen" (II Corinthians 1:20). If we don't receive the answer right away, we need to keep praying, keep standing firm to the Word of God until it manifests.

-> You have to believe. Nothing short-circuits prayer like unbelief. In the Bible, we see many people healed because their faith made them whole, such as the woman with the issue of blood. It is believing the promises of God, not just knowing them and quoting them that is going to make our miracles a reality. We have to believe the promises so much that they are more real to us than the problem. So much that our belief in the promise cannot be shaken by the words and beliefs of others.

--->Remember prayer is talking to God. We don't repeat a prayer we find in the Bible. We can use it as a form, a guideline, but we should talk to God from our hearts. We must tell Him what He means to us, and tell Him what we need from Him.

Philippians 4:6 tells us to be anxious for nothing, but in everything with thanksgiving, make our requests known to God. We are to tell Him everything just as we would our best friend. That includes when we are angry, sad, happy, confused. Let God know. We need to let God help us. Through this venting process, we will get to know God better.

---> Be thankful. This should be our first priority--to thank God for all He has done for us. He sent His Son to die on the cross for us. He didn't have to, but He did. He raised His Son Jesus from the dead but not before Jesus took back the authority to the Earth from satan. Again, He didn't have to do it, but He did. Jesus ascended back up to Heaven, where He is at the right-hand of the Father, making intercession for us.

Through Jesus' shed blood, we are in right-standing with God (II Corinthians 5:21).. We are alive. We are healthy. We have a roof over our heads. Food to eat. Money to spend. Friends and family who love us. If we have any of these things, we have a reason to be grateful. If we have nothing else to thank Him for, we should thank Him that we are breathing, that we are alive. As long as we are alive. God has a plan for our lives.

---> Listen. When we pray, we need to listen for God to speak. Not only through His Word but through our spirits. God is speaking. How many of us, though, are listening? God can speak to our spirits, through His Word, through dreams. He can talk to us in many different ways. We have to be listening, paying attention to His voice. The more we listen for it, the more we will hear it.

Jesus certainly doesn't need our prayers, but He cannot do anything for us unless we pray. Why not do it today?

Annagail Lynes is a pharmacy technician, certified life coach and ordained minister. She is helping people move forward after trauma by helping them discover their purpose. Follow her blog at 316counseling.com

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