God hears and answers prayer. We must believe that God is and that He rewards them that diligently seek Him. God extends an invitation to His children in Jeremiah 33:3, inviting them to come unto Him and to call upon Him. “Call unto me, and I will answer thee, and shew thee great and mighty things, which thou knowest not.”
To get started the right way in the matter of prayer, we must first admit our failure to pray. In the Gospel according to Luke, the disciples came with inquiring hearts to the Lord Jesus. In Luke 11:1 the Bible says, “And it came to pass, that, when he ceased, one of his disciples said unto him, Lord, teach us to pray, as John also taught his disciples.”
When the disciples saw the Lord Jesus praying, they knew it was the custom of His life to pray. They wanted Him to teach them how to pray. He was the greatest Teacher who ever lived, yet they did not say, “Lord, teach us to teach.” He was the greatest Preacher who ever lived, yet they did not say, “Lord, teach us to preach.” They said, “We want to be able to talk to God; teach us to pray.” It was not a matter of teaching them “how” to pray. It was a matter of being motivated to pray. Here are some things that should motivate us to pray.
Pray Because the Devil is Real
Why should we pray? We should pray because the Devil is real. We are not going to win the victory against Satan without prayer. The Bible says in Ephesians 6:10-12
“Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might. Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.
In the Word of God, we learn we can defeat the Devil through prayer. We must pray because the Devil is real. When we do not pray, we leave the door open for the Devil to enter. He, “as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour.” He will walk by our door a thousand times to find it open once. All Satan is looking for is the moment of his greatest temptation and the moment of our greatest weakness to come together. This is why we must pray.
Pray to Confess Your Sins
The Bible says in I John 1:9, “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” To “confess” our sins means to say the same thing about them that God says. As God’s children, we should not harbor unconfessed sins in our lives. We need to keep short accounts with God. Go to God in prayer every day to confess your sins and find forgiveness and cleansing in Him.
Pray to Receive Things From God
We should pray because this is the way God has designed for us to receive things from Him. The Bible says in James 4:2, “Ye lust, and have not: ye kill, and desire to have, and cannot obtain: ye fight and war, yet ye have not, because ye ask not.”
There is a God in heaven who has everything we need. He says the way to get things from Him is through prayer. God can do all things. He owns all things. He can provide all things. God has made a way to get things from Him and that is through prayer.
Pray to Deal With Worries and Cares
We should pray because prayer will eliminate our worries and cares. The Bible says in Philippians 4:5-7,
“Let your moderation be known unto all men. The Lord is at hand. Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God. And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.”
This is a precious promise. We should pray because our worries and cares can be done away with through prayer. We are so anxious about things, and most of the things we get anxious about never come to pass. We live such worrisome lives. The reason for this is not our personalities or our upbringing. The reason we live such anxious lives is our prayerlessness. We should pray because this is the only way to properly deal with our worries and cares.
Pray for God to Meet Your Needs
We should pray because God meets our needs through prayer. Hebrews 4:15-16 says,
“For we have not an high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities; but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin. Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need.”
At this moment, we find ourselves in a very needy, desperate world. In time of need, we should come before the Lord. He has made a way to meet our needs.
Pray in the Name of the Lord Jesus Christ
We should pray because God has invited us to pray in Jesus’ name. Why should we pray in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ? There is no name like Jesus’ name. His name is the name of power and authority. There are awful moments of temptation when we can simply cry out in Jesus’ name, “Jesus, help me!” To pray in Jesus’ name means to pray for His sake and for His glory.
Read John 14:1-6. The Lord Jesus did not say, “Let Me tell you the way.” He said, “I am the way.” He is the way. When we come into His presence, He is the way. He wants us to pray in His name.
Pray Because Jesus Christ Is Praying for You
We should pray to the God who hears and answers prayer because the great work of Jesus Christ at this moment is the work of intercession. The Lord Jesus Christ’s earthly ministry was the great work of redemption. On Calvary, He bled and died, was buried in a borrowed tomb, and He came forth from the grave, alive forevermore. The great work of Christ, at this moment, is the work of interceding. He is interceding for us. Has He heard from you lately?
Years ago, when I was a very young Christian, a man who is now in heaven, Dr. Vance Havner, said in my presence, “As long as you can take it or leave it, you’ll leave it.” May God work in our lives until we get to the place where there are no other options, only prayer.
