Why should we pray?

Prayer is our most valuable source of Spiritual Power. Someone said that prayer is the key to open up the day and lock to close the day. The bible records 667 prayers for specific things and 454 traceable answers. It is a Book of Prayer — both in the Old and New Testament men of God prayed. When there was no way to look but up, the men looked up and they were heard. Their prayers were more than reciting wellknown rituals and wornout phrases. They poured out their heart to God. It’s not the amount of prayers, the eloquence of our language, or the length or the logic or the method or even the theology which moves God, but fervency in spirt avails much.

When the men of the Bible were surrounded by perils and persecution, and pain and distress they naturally turned to God believing that He was able to redeem them. They didn’t know a lot about the philosophy of prayer, and maybe their techniques were crude, but they certainly knew the power of Prayer.

What is prayer? Prayer is the desire, the privilege, and opportunity of talking to God. It is a correspondence fixed with Heaven. You can read in Genesis 4:26 that Adam and Eve’s third son, Seth, started the ball rolling. Then men began to call upon the name of the Lord. It was through Seth’s lineage that eventually Christ was born.

From Genesis to Revelation man had access to God through prayer. The New Testament is full of directions to pray for and seek Spiritual blessings.

We must come in sincerity, yes, but sincerity alone will not make it. Humility, repentance, obedience, faith and forgiveness are also critical. Our heart condition must be healthy. How important is faith? Hebrews 11:6 tells us that “without faith it is impossible to please God”!

Prayer without faith is like a boat without an oar. He that wavers is like a wave of the sea — driven with the wind and tossed. Along with faith we need repentance. Psalm 66:18, “If I regard or harbor iniquity in my heart, the Lord will not hear me”; 2 Chronicles 7:14, “If my people … humble themselves, and pray and turn! Then I will hear!” Turning means doing a 180.

Humility is another key. Luke 18:13, the Pharisee and the Publican — the secret was in the heart behind the prayer. God be merciful! I’m a sinner. Not my father or my mother , but me. And last but definitely not least, we need forgiveness. Matthew 5:23 & 24, He who cannot forgive others breaks the bridge over which he must pass himself. It’s our deepest need and highest achievement.