Why, When, and How Should We Pray?

Why Should We Pray?

God insists that we ask, not because He needs to know our situation, but because we need the spiritual discipline of asking. — Catherine Marshall

Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and

petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. — Philippians 4:6

So I say to you: Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives; he who seeks finds; and to him who knocks, the door will be opened. — Luke 11:9-10

Again, I tell you that if two of you on earth agree about anything you ask for, it will be done for you by my Father in heaven. For where two or three come together in my name, there am I with them. —Matthew 18:19-20

The point of prayer is not to get answers from God, but to have perfect and complete oneness with Him. — Oswald Chambers

Devote yourselves to prayer, being watchful and thankful. — Colossians 4:2

What other nation is so great as to have their gods near them the way the Lord our God is near us whenever we pray to Him? —Deuteronomy 4:7

Come near to God and He will come near to you. — James 4:8

Let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need. — Hebrews 4:16

The Lord is near to all who call on him, to all who call on Him in truth. — Psalm 145:18

[We should pray] because prayer is the most important part of the thankfulness God requires of us. And also because God gives His grace and Holy Spirit only to those who pray continually and groan inwardly, asking God for these gifts and thanking Him for them. —Heidelberg Catechism

How can I repay the Lordfor all his goodness to me?… I will sacrifice a thank offering to you and call on the name of the Lord. — Psalm 116:12, 17

For everything God created is good, and nothing is to be rejected if it is received with thanksgiving, because it is consecrated by the word of God and prayer. — 1 Timothy 4:4-5

Speak to one another with psalms, hymns and spiritual songs. Sing and make music in your heart to the Lord, always giving thanks to God the Father for everything, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. — Ephesians 5:19-20

Other reasons to pray

On reaching the place, [Jesus][Jesus][Jesus] told the crowd to sit down on the ground. When he had taken the seven loaves and given thanks, he broke them and gave them to his disciples to set before the people, and they did so. — Mark 8:6

Where Should We Pray?

Pray alone. Let prayer be the key of the morning and the bolt at night. The best way to fight against sin is to fight on our knees. — Philip Henry

In private:

But when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you. — Matthew 6:6

In bed:

On my bed I remember you; I think of you through the watches of the night. —Psalm 63:6

At the river:

On the Sabbath we went outside the city gate to the river, where we expected to find a place of prayer. We sat down and began to speak to the women who had gathered there. — Acts 16:13

On the seashore:

But when our time was up, we left and continued on our way. All the disciples and their wives and children accompanied us out of the city, and there on the beach we knelt to pray. — Acts 21:5

At the well:

Then [Abraham’s servant] prayed, “O Lord, God of my master Abraham, give me success today, and show kindness to my master Abraham. See, I am standing beside this spring, and the daughters of the townspeople are coming out to draw water.” — Genesis 24:12-13

In God’s house:

There was also a prophetess, Anna, the daughter of Phanuel, of the tribe of Asher. She was very old; she had lived with her husband seven years after her marriage, and then was a widow until she was eighty-four. She never left the temple but worshiped night and day, fasting and praying. — Luke 2:36-37

On the battlefield:

On the day the Lord gave the Amorites over to Israel, Joshua said to the Lord in the presence of Israel: “O sun, stand still over Gibeon, O moon, over the Valley of Aijalon.” So the sun stood still and the moon stopped, till the nation avenged itself on its enemies. — Joshua 10:12-13

Excerpted with permission from Reflections on the Lord’s Prayer by Susan Brower, copyright Zondervan.

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Your Turn

Prayer is pressing into relationship with God, focusing on Him more, adoring Him, thanking Him, asking for our needs, and learning His rhythms that are a much easier yoke than the one we’d choose for ourselves. How are you experiencing more depth in your relationship with God through prayer? Come share with us on our blog! ~ Devotionals Daily