Because of our…
1. Mediator
- I Timothy 2:1-6 – “I urge, then, first of all, that petitions, prayers, intercession and thanksgiving be made for all people— for kings and all those in authority, that we may live peaceful and quiet lives in all godliness and holiness. This is good, and pleases God our Savior, who wants all people to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth. For there is one God and one mediator between God and mankind, the man Christ Jesus, who gave himself as a ransom for all people.”
2. Advocate
- I John 2:1-2 – “But if anybody does sin, we have an advocate with the Father—Jesus Christ, the Righteous One. He is the atoning sacrifice for our sins, and not only for ours but also for the sins of the whole world.”
3. Intercessor
- Hebrews 7:25 – “Therefore he is able to save completely those who come to God through him, because he always lives to intercede for them.” (cf. 10:19-22)
- Romans 8:33-34 – “Who will bring any charge against those whom God has chosen? It is God who justifies. Who then is the one who condemns? No one. Christ Jesus who died—more than that, who was raised to life—is at the right hand of God and is also interceding for us.”
4. Divine Invitation
- Hebrews 4:14-16 – “Therefore, since we have a great high priest who has ascended into heaven, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold firmly to the faith we profess. For we do not have a high priest who is unable to empathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are—yet he did not sin. Let us then approach God’s throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.”
Because…
5. Jesus practiced prayer
- Mark 1:35 – “Very early in the morning, while it was still dark, Jesus got up, left the house and went off to a solitary place, where he prayed.”
- Luke 6:12-13 – “One of those days Jesus went out to a mountainside to pray, and spent the night praying to God. When morning came, he called his disciples to him and chose twelve of them, whom he also designated apostles”
- Luke 22:31-32 – ““Simon, Simon, Satan has asked to sift all of you as wheat. But I have prayed for you, Simon, that your faith may not fail. And when you have turned back, strengthen your brothers.”
6. Jesus commanded us to pray
- Luke 18:1 – “Then Jesus told his disciples a parable to show them that they should always pray and not give up.”
- Matthew 6:9 – “This, then, is how you should pray….”
- I Thessalonians 5:17 – “pray continually,”
- James 5:13 – Is anyone among you in trouble? Let them pray.
Because we need…
- 7. Realignment of everything“Prayer has become for me much more than a shopping list of requests to present to God. It has become a realignment of everything. I pray to restore the truth of the universe, to gain a glimpse of the world, and of me, through the eyes of God.”
- “In prayer, I shift my point of view away from my own selfishness. I climb above the timberline and look down at the speck that is myself. I gaze at the stars and recall what role I, or any of us, play in a universe beyond comprehension. Prayer is the act of seeing reality from God’s point of view.” (Philipp Yancey, Prayer: Does It Make Any Difference?)
8. To bring glory of God – Jesus connected the glory of God and answered prayer.
- John 14:13 – “I will do whatever you ask in my name, so that the Father may be glorified in the Son.”
- Ephesians 3:20-21 – “Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen.”
9. Restoration of our soul
- Psalm 62:8 – “Trust in him at all times, you people; pour out your hearts to him, for God is our refuge.”
- Philippians 4:6-7 – “ Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.
10. Participation in God’s work
- Colossians 4:12 – “Epaphras, who is one of you and a servant of Christ Jesus, sends greetings. He is always wrestling in prayer for you, that you may stand firm in all the will of God, mature and fully assured.”
- James 5:16 – “The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective.” (cf. I Peter 3:12).
Another way to answer the question of why we should pray is because of….
- God’s honor
- God’s kingdom and will
- God’s provision
- God’s Pardon
- God’s protection
Reflection – The winter of our discontent
“As young Christians, enthusiastic about our newfound faith, we
burble before the Lord about our lives in the way in which young
children burble to their parents about all the things they see going on around them. But later we become less certain that such burbling alone is the essence of prayer. As children growing in their relationship with their parents cannot happily revert to baby ways of communication, so we reach out for a more mature and reverent prayer style, and we become less and less happy about the way we actually pray.”
“We feel we are trudging along in a marsh, getting muddy and messed up while going nowhere. We make requests to God and then we wonder whether they made any difference. We ask ourselves, Is God answering my prayers? If not, why not? If he is, how is he doing it, because what’s happening isn’t quite what I asked for? Did I ask wrongly then? The winter of our discontent at our experience of prayer seems to go on forever.” (“Praying: Finding Our Way Through Duty to Delight,” J. I. Packer).
Steve Cornell
Wisdomforlife 