I’m going to share about 10 reasons why we pray as Christians. But, some people may be asking themselves questions like, “Do I really need to pray?”, “Is prayer really significant?” etc.
So many Christians who believe in prayer are prayerless for one reason or another. Maybe it is because they are so busy with something important to them. They may have excuses or simply don’t feel like praying.
I strongly believe that prayer is not a waste of time but a gain of time.
In this article are some reasons why men ought always to pray against all odds.
Where is “men ought always to pray” in the Bible?
“Men ought always to pray” is seen in St. Luke 18:1 “And he spake a parable unto them to this end, that men ought always to pray, and not to faint;”
That was when Jesus narrated the parable of the persistent widow (Luke 18:1-8).
Read also: Parable of the Persistent Widow: 5 Lessons to Learn About Prayer.
What “Men ought always to pray” doesn’t mean.
“Men ought always to pray” doesn’t mean that men should only pray and not engage themselves in other activities of life.
Imagine someone taking this statement deduced from the parable of our Lord literally. He will fail to get a job for himself. If he has a family, how can he provide for himself and his family? Even as we do work with our hands, prayer is not a license for slothfulness in our businesses.
Again, it does not mean that only males are meant to pray. The word “men” in the context includes both males and females. (Genesis 1:27)
What ” Men ought always to pray ” means
This is similar to 1 Thessalonians 5:17, which says that we are to pray without ceasing.
The complete statement is that men ought always to pray and not to faint.
It means to pray persistently until one’s request is granted. It simply means to P.U.S.H (pray until something happens). We are not to cease praying until we see our prayers come through. It might not require praying at a stretch for hours, days, or months.
It may also mean always being ready to pray at any time. That’s to always incline one’s heart towards the throne of grace and to be ready to turn to prayer at any time.
Jesus narrated the parable of the persistent widow to explain this saying that men ought always to pray and not to give up. In the parable, the widow didn’t go to the judge with a mattress and pillows for sleeping so that she might not need to leave the judge’s presence at all until her request was granted.
I’m not exactly sure what would have happened if she had done it. She might not, however, be able to see how to support herself.
Inasmuch as the habit of always praying is required of every man, it should not replace work.
Pray as though everything depended on God. Work as though everything depended on you.
Saint Augustine
10 reasons why we pray.
1. Prayer is Man’s duty
St. Luke 18:1 And he spake a parable unto them to this end, that men ought always to pray, and not to faint;
The modal verb “ought to” denotes necessity. It shows an obligation. Every man is obligated to pray, not sometimes, not occasionally, not conditionally, but always.
Praying frequently and persistently is not just for clergymen. It is for you and me. It is intended for young people, seniors, traders, businesspeople, etc.
Even if you might not always feel like praying, you ought to still do it out of necessity and obligation.
St. Luke 11:2 And he said unto them When ye pray...
In teaching the disciples about prayer, Jesus used the word “when” and not “if.” This shows that prayer is not optional for men. It is a must-do. It is expected of every man.
It is men’s responsibility to petition God, and God is obligated to respond. God will respond because he has instructed men to pray and has promised to respond.
From Genesis to Revelation, I can’t point out anywhere God failed to carry out his responsibility of answering prayers, except for a few cases where the petitioner is not in right standing with Him. For example, the case of King Saul. (1 Samuel 28:6)
Some Christians are disadvantaged because they are failing to perform the duty of praying. (James 4:2)
2. To overcome temptation.
St. Matthew 26:41 Watch and pray, that ye enter not into temptation: the spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak.
Temptation is what every person who has decided to follow Christ encounters. It is the bait that lures one to sin. If Jesus was tempted, we are not exempted.
To face temptation is itself not a sin, but yielding to it is. Every person is tempted when he is baited by his own evil desires (James 1:14). Those desires come from the flesh. The desires of the flesh are opposed to the Spirit, and those of the Spirit are opposed to the flesh (Galatians 5:17).
Therefore, can a man overcome temptation without the regular spiritual exercise of praying? Absolutely no! A prayerless Christian must be a sinful Christian. This is because he will continually be overcome by temptations.
Even our Lord Jesus needed to pray to overcome temptations. In Matthew 4, he was led by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted. But before the tempter could arrive, Jesus had already armed himself with fasting and, supposedly, prayer.
Prayer strengthens the spirit. It enables the spirit to prevail against the flesh. Prayer makes the desires of the spirit stronger. The more a man prays sincerely and fervently, the less likely he is to yield to temptations.
Prayer will make a man cease from sin, or sin will entice a man to cease from prayer.
John Bunyan
When one prays and yet finds it difficult to overcome a particular temptation, what is he meant to do? Should he stop praying because prayer has seemed ineffective? Not at all. Rather, it will be wise if he increases the dosage of his prayers. Let that man pray more!
3. Because of our weaknesses.
This is one of the reasons why men ought always to pray.
Exodus 17:11, And it came to pass, when Moses held up his hand, that Israel prevailed: and when he let down his hand, Amalek prevailed.
The lifting of hands can be taken to be a posture of prayer (1 Timothy 2:8). It signifies an act of surrender and as well as the source of one’s help. (Psalms 121:1).
The weakness of the children of Israel was revealed whenever Moses brought down his hand.
A good reason to always raise our hands in prayer is not to demonstrate that we are prayerful, that we enjoy praying, or that we are strong and vibrant Christians. It should be because we are dependent on God’s strength.
Recognition of the debility of our nature makes prayer a necessity.
The weakest among us should be the most dependent. When he relies on the Almighty’s strength, he will begin to live a holy life and perform feats through God’s strength.
The weakest should, in fact, pray the most!
I suppose that one of the ways God calls us to higher ground is by depriving us of certain things. An addiction to a certain sin, for which one might turn to God for help in his desire to be freed, can draw him closer to God.
Through the process of prayer, the weak declare that they are strong. A man who doesn’t pray, trusts in himself.
4. Because we have an adversary.
St. Luke 18:3 And there was a widow in that city; and she came unto him, saying, Avenge me of mine adversary.
1 Peter 5:8 Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour:
We have a very wicked and notorious adversary. He is industrious and opportunistic.
The devil accuses us before our God, the Judge of all the earth, at all hours of the day and night. He works very hard and very smartly just to have our souls. Because he is short on time, he does everything he can to enslave men.
This is an important reason why every believer needs to constantly pray to prevent the devil from having the upper hand in their lives.
“Satan wants to have you, but I have prayed for you,” Jesus told Peter. By prayer and not just by words of advice, Peter was delivered from the mouth of the roaming lion.
A prayerless Christian is a joker in the sight of the devil. Such a Christian is in real trouble.
Because the watchmen are in slumber, Satan has been able to kill some lives, steal some souls, and destroy some destinies. We face a real foe. He’s a hustler. Therefore, let us remain vigilant and constantly pray with all kinds of prayers.
5. For spiritual growth.
One of the most powerful ways to grow spiritually is by praying habitually. This entails having a prayer life which is the incorporation of the habit of praying into one’s lifestyle.
Growing spiritually is more like exercising a muscle. An increase in the size of a muscle is proportional to the regularity of its use in exercise and weight lifting. Do you want to grow to the fullness of Christ? Pray like Christ!
Read also: The Prayer Life of Jesus: 14 Life-changing Lessons to Learn.
Habitual prayer;
- Grows one Christward.
- It brings out and sharpens one’s gifts and abilities.
- It enhances discernment.
6. Fellowship with God
Another reason why men ought always to pray is that it is a means of fellowship with the Father.
Prayer is not just an activity reserved for special occasions or only in times of need; rather it is a means of communication with the Father which should be practiced every day.
Prayer deepens our relationship with the Father. The life of every relationship is dependent on the frequency and depth of communication. It is a means of developing intimacy.
Take, for example, a man and his wife living in the same house. Early each morning, the man would dress up and go to work. In the evening, he comes back, eats his food, and immediately goes to bed. No communication between him and his wife. No story to tell or listen to, no joke to crack, no argument to make. Nothing at all. What do you think about that marriage? It must be full of misunderstandings and quarrels.
The same thing applies to any Christian who does not regularly study his Bible and pray, but only comes to God in times of need. Such a Christian would continually misunderstand God because of his infrequent communication with Him.
The more you spend time with a man, the more you tend to know that man. You will begin to understand how he thinks, his likes and dislikes, and the way to his heart.
You must be a man who spends quality time with God if you want to be drawn closer to him.
7. For Transformation.
Prayer does not change God, but it changes him who prays.
Soren Kierkegaard
Prayer is a powerful tool capable of changing a man. While praying, Jesus was transfigured. (Luke 9:28-29). We may not know exactly what happens while we pray, but we must know that we don’t remain the same.
It is said, “Show me your friend and I will tell you who you are.” This is because we tend to always be like the people we hang out with. What, then, can we say about a man who is often alone with the Father in prayer?
Once more, preaching cannot transform men on its own. Prayers are the catalyst for real conversion.
8. It is a privilege to make a request.
Prayer is a golden privilege every genuine Christian has (1 Peter 3:12). It gives us access to the omnibenevolent Father (Hebrew 4:16).
Remember, the producer of a product can easily repair and manage it. He who created us, inviting us to bring our needs, pains, and infirmities to him in prayer, is an advantage to be utilized.
God has given us an open check to ask for whatever we desire. So, if the ravens cry to him when in need, and he satisfies them (psalms 147:9), and I fail to ask for things I need, I will be like a man who is in great honor but doesn’t know.
One of the reasons why we should be prayerful is so that we can obtain everything our all-loving father has in store for us.
9. To have the peace of God.
Philippians 4:6-7 Don't worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done. And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus. (NLT)
Prayer is the best way to obtain peace of mind. Some people, whenever in anxiety, drink alcohol to wipe away their sorrows. When the effect of the alcohol wears off, their worries return.
Do you want peace of mind? Do you want to stop worrying about things that you cannot handle? Turn all of those worries to prayer (1 Peter 5:7). Pray about everything.
Some people say that not everything needs praying. But this is not what the scripture says. The Bible says, “but in everything by prayer…”
Men ought always to pray because it involves sharing every aspect of our lives with God.
10. To handle situations.
Times of Abundance:
In prosperous times, men ought always to pray to avoid becoming arrogant and getting carried away by their wealth.
Time of Affliction:
The book of James says that if you are afflicted, you should pray (James 5:13). Seasons of affliction are times of dogged prayers. At such times, men ought always to pray, lest they become faithless.
Bonus: To hear from God.
Prayer is simply a two-way conversation between you and God.
Billy Graham
Another reason to be prayerful is that it is a means of hearing from God. (Jeremiah 33:3)
- When in search of something, pray to God, and He will show you (1 Samuel 10:22).
- Are you confused? Pray to God, he will give you direction (1 Samuel 30:8).
- When in need of a revelation, pray to God, and he will reveal it (Daniel 2: 17-19).
Pray!
God never fails to answer. When we don’t hear from God, it may be that we haven’t prayed long enough to reach the level where we can hear from God. A radio station is always broadcasting, but you have to tune in to the right radio signal frequency to hear them. We can tune into God’s frequency, in my opinion, through praying.
The value of persistent prayer is not that God will hear us, but that we will finally hear God.
William McGill
Conclusion
Shall we pray or not?
A man who does not pray is like;
- A person fleeing from an unarmed enemy while carrying weapons.
- One who is starving but has food.
- The same goes for someone who has a wealthy parent but lacks essential things.
- A person with money who doesn’t spend it.
- One who is in a position of power yet is controlled by subordinates.
- One who knows a superb doctor yet is dying from a treatable illness.
What more shall I say?
Shouldn’t we be prayerful?
Please make your contributions in the comment section.
