Prayer is a blessing. But for many, it can also mean...
One of the most basic and important questions we can ask about prayer is simply: Why pray at all?
God doesn’t intend prayer to change things outside ourselves, but rather to change us. God moves and acts in our world, through US.
But, let’s be honest. Sometimes (often?) prayer is hard and even confusing . It challenges us. We often get answers we don´t like. It can inspire more questions than answers. So when we don’t get the answers we want - or feel like we are unheard, it can be difficult to remember why we do it.
- SEPARATION - I´m not the religious type.
- ANXIETY - What will people think?
- SCORN - Wishes and prayers don´t pay the bills.
- FRUSTRATION - Where do I start?
One of the most basic and important questions we can ask about prayer is simply: Why pray at all?
God doesn’t intend prayer to change things outside ourselves, but rather to change us. God moves and acts in our world, through US.
But, let’s be honest. Sometimes (often?) prayer is hard and even confusing . It challenges us. We often get answers we don´t like. It can inspire more questions than answers. So when we don’t get the answers we want - or feel like we are unheard, it can be difficult to remember why we do it.
So... Why Pray?
1. RELATIONSHIP WITH JESUS
2. PROVIDES US A WAY FORWARD
3. PRAYER INSPIRES GOD’S WORK IN THE WORLD
4. PRAYER IS VALUABLE TO GOD
- Prayer is one place when God can get at us speak to and minister to us. Christianity is not primarily about rules. It is about building and growing in our relationship with God. Prayer helps us meditate on this love: to be immersed in it, to learn how to give it back, to learn how to let it seep into the dry cracks and crevices of our lives.
2. PROVIDES US A WAY FORWARD
- Prayer helps us stop, think, commune with God and contemplate his ways. These precious moments of reflection allow God to speak in our hearts, providing comfort and guidance in challenging situations. This guidance can help us overcome temptation and keep us true to the path God calls us to... Love.
3. PRAYER INSPIRES GOD’S WORK IN THE WORLD
- Jesus prayed often. The Bible says that ¨He would often withdraw to the wilderness and pray.¨ Just like Christ, God communicates with us in moments of silence and meditation. He moves us to act, he inspires us to take chances, he opens our minds to possibilities. WE are God´s plan for the world. Our callings are clarified when we commune with God through prayer.
4. PRAYER IS VALUABLE TO GOD
- Christ is passionate about acting on behalf of the world. When we call on him, he intercedes... When we acknowledge him, he puts us back on the right path.
- ¨Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths.¨ Proverbs 3:5-6 (ESV)
- The Heavenly Christ “...lives to make intercession for them.” Hebrews 7:25 Intercession is the action of intervening on behalf of another. Christ moves hearts and minds through prayer, calling us to action and guiding our world to a path of love.
What will God speak in your heart?
Join us on Wednesdays at 5pm for a short Prayer Service.
God is full of surprises.
Join us on Wednesdays at 5pm for a short Prayer Service.
God is full of surprises.
