Lord’s Library contributor Jared Helms offers commentary on why prayer is important with motivation for effectual prayer. Check out Jared’s YouTube channel and two blogs: A Light in the Darkness and Blind Faith Examples, or send him a reader response email. Lord’s Library’s Ministry Leaders Series is a collection of contributed articles written by ministry leaders on key Christian topics.
Here there is a simple answer. We are commanded to pray. This answer is correct but fails to satisfy. There is a further difficulty which must be resolved. See Matthew 6:7-8: “But when ye pray, use not vain repetitions, as the heathen do: for they think that they shall be heard for their much speaking. Be not ye therefore like unto them: for your Father knoweth what things ye have need of, before ye ask him.”
The purpose of normal human communication is to convey new information, more or less. God’s omniscience obviates this purpose. We cannot tell God anything He does not already know. See Isaiah 40:13-14: “Who hath directed the Spirit of the LORD, or being his counsellor hath taught him? With whom took he counsel, and who instructed him, and taught him in the path of judgment, and taught him knowledge, and shewed to him the way of understanding?”
Why Prayer is Important
He has perfect knowledge and perfect wisdom with which to ordain a perfect plan by His perfect power. So, we are told in Numbers 23:19 that God does not change His mind: “God is not a man, that he should lie; neither the son of man, that he should repent: hath he said, and shall he not do it? or hath he spoken, and shall he not make it good?”
Why should He? His ways are best. See Isaiah 55:8-9, Psalms 18:30, and Romans 11:33-34:
- Isaiah 55:8-9: “For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the LORD. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts.”
- Psalms 18:30: “As for God, his way is perfect: the word of the LORD is tried: he is a buckler to all those that trust in him.”
- Romans 11:33-34: “O the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! how unsearchable are his judgments, and his ways past finding out! For who hath known the mind of the Lord? or who hath been his counsellor?”
There is no improvement to be made; and if there was, which is a veritable impossibility, we certainly could not suggest it. In all of this, God is unlike us being infinitely greater, to the point of transcendence.
However, God desires a relationship with man. This may be seen in the account of creation in Genesis 2 and is seen also in Genesis 3:8: “And they heard the voice of the LORD God walking in the garden in the cool of the day: and Adam and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the LORD God amongst the trees of the garden.”
All of God’s covenants with men from Noah to David point to this fact. It is at the heart of the redemptive narrative, for love is the motivation cited, and love is relational. We see how deep the love of the Father is that reconciled wretched souls to Himself. He would give the Son over to suffering and to death. See Romans 5:8: “But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.”
And the Son willingly gave Himself to this humiliation. See Philippians 2:5-11: “Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus: Who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God: But made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men: And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross. Wherefore God also hath highly exalted him, and given him a name which is above every name: That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth; And that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.”
This was the Will of God. See John 6:40: “And this is the will of him that sent me, that every one which seeth the Son, and believeth on him, may have everlasting life: and I will raise him up at the last day.” See also John 1:10-13 and Ephesians 2:8-10:
- John 1:10-13: “He was in the world, and the world was made by him, and the world knew him not. He came unto his own, and his own received him not. But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name: Which were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.”
- Ephesians 2:8-10: “For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast. For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them.”
So now by grace, through faith in Christ alone, we are called children of God. See 1 John 3:1: “Behold, what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us, that we should be called the sons of God: therefore the world knoweth us not, because it knew him not.”
In Matthew 6:9, we are instructed to pray to “Our Father which art in heaven.” We are to seek from Him our every need. See Matthew 6:9-13, Matthew 25-32, and Matthew 7:7-12:
- Matthew 6:9-13: “After this manner therefore pray ye: Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil: For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever. Amen.”
- Matthew 7:7-12: “Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you: For every one that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened. Or what man is there of you, whom if his son ask bread, will he give him a stone? Or if he ask a fish, will he give him a serpent? If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children, how much more shall your Father which is in heaven give good things to them that ask him? Therefore all things whatsoever ye would that men should do to you, do ye even so to them: for this is the law and the prophets.”
In this way, we also fulfill the commandment to seek God above all else Matthew. See 6:33: “But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.” And by this God is glorified as we esteem Him as we ought. So true prayer is an act of worship of which God is worthy.
It appears also that God as our Father simply wishes us to communicate with Him. See 1 Peter 5:7: “Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you.” Just as any loving earthly father wants to talk with his children, so does the heavenly Father. This is evident in the numerous commands to pray, and the equally numerous stories of answered prayers. Therefore, far from leading us to abandon prayer as useful the attributes of God, even His perfections, ought to inspire us to pray with confidence. See 1 John 5:14: “And this is the confidence that we have in him, that, if we ask any thing according to his will, he heareth us:”
What I am saying is that the very fact of God, the greatest of all possible beings, ought to motivate us to seek an audience with Him. Think of the men and women you would like to be able to converse with, God is greater than all of them. If I would go out of my to spend time with a state official, or the executives of a business, or an esteemed entertainer, how much more should I be motivated to speak with the creator and sustainer of the cosmos?
This point needs to be drawn out further, as it really is the foundation of any healthy prayer life. Jerry Bridges says it well in Trusting God: “Prayer assumes the sovereignty of God. If God is not sovereign, we have no assurance that He is able to answer our prayers. Our prayers would become nothing more than wishes. But while God’s sovereignty, along with his wisdom and love, is the foundation of our trust in Him, prayer is the expression of that trust.”
God has commanded His people to pray and has ordained that certain of His actions shall be in response to the prayers of His people that He might get greater glory. He causes us to want, that He may Himself satisfy it. He works in the circumstances of our lives to bring us to Him that we might come to rely upon Him and be satisfied in Him. Put simply, the circumstances of our lives are opportunities for the demonstration of God’s ability and character.
Thomas Watson said: “God will fill the hungry because He Himself has stirred up the hunger. As in the case of prayer, when God prepares the heart to pray, He prepares His ear to hear. So, in the case of spiritual hunger, when God prepares the heart to hunger, He will prepare His hand to fill.” See Psalms 10:17: “LORD, thou hast heard the desire of the humble: thou wilt prepare their heart, thou wilt cause thine ear to hear:”
But can God satisfy our wants? Is God able to successfully intervene and resolve our problem? The answer from Scripture is a resounding yes! From Genesis 1:1 we encounter a being of limitless power, able to do whatever He wills: “In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth.” Later in the book God wipes out all of creation, saving Noah and his family and the animals rescued on the ark.
At the tower of Babel, God frustrated the collective efforts of all of humanity. In Exodus, God has His way with Pharoh and then utterly ruins the greatest military power of the time. God humbled several nations as He installed His people in the Promised Land, and continued to crush invasions for decades. In Daniel. God utterly humiliates the most powerful ruler of the day twice, and also his son.
We see wonders upon wonders from the feeding of thousands with a handful of provisions to the healing of every sort of condition to the resurrection of the dead. God is perfectly able to do anything and everything we ask, so that it is written in Ephesians 3:20: “Now unto him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us,”
God might answer our remaining doubts with the words He spoke to Jeremiah the prophet in Jeremiah 32:27: “Behold, I am the LORD, the God of all flesh: is there any thing too hard for me?”
Absolutely not! With God not only is nothing impossible, but nothing is challenging. There is never any cause for concern when God is involved. God is just so much bigger than anything we could encounter in our lives. Yet, we are told He has even numbered the hairs of our head in Luke 12:7: “But even the very hairs of your head are all numbered. Fear not therefore: ye are of more value than many sparrows.”
God’s care for us extends into the most trifling of affairs. If you care about it, may it be cast upon Him who cares for you! See 1 Peter 5:7: “Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you.”
Here then is the last question already partially answered, will God act on my behalf? It is one thing to believe that God can answer your prayers, it is another thing to believe that He will. Yet, if you are welcomed into His presence by the grace of Christ then already the infinitely precious Blood of Christ was shed for you. Now if God would give you Christ what good thing would He withhold? Such is the reasoning of Paul, and we find no flaw in it. See Romans 8:32: “He that spared not his own Son, but delivered him up for us all, how shall he not with him also freely give us all things?”
What a good Father would withhold are things that are not good for us. We may not get everything we ask, but we will always receive good from God, even if the goodness is beyond our understanding or appreciation. Some readers might ponder the experience of Job, but my assertion is based on the teaching of Christ and must apply even in the case of Job.
See Matthew 7:9-11: “Or what man is there of you, whom if his son ask bread, will he give him a stone? Or if he ask a fish, will he give him a serpent? If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children, how much more shall your Father which is in heaven give good things to them that ask him?”
Again, we must remember that God has a much better definition of good than we do. This is partially due to God’s perfect perception freed from the constraints of space and time, and the distortion wrought in the human perception by sin. Suppose we have a man who has been disabled since childhood due to disease, and all his family and many churches, and even some notable ministers pray earnestly and fervently for his healing, but that healing never come; has prayer failed?
The answer is no.
First, God will heal every disability in the resurrection. Secondly, as we learn in John 9 and 2 Corinthians 12, God is using this thorn in the flesh for some higher purpose. I know of at least one soul that was saved from eternal death in part due to a childhood disease. These things are not easy to understand or to accept. Still, we must believe, and may the Lord help our unbelief.
We do not understand unanswered prayers or difficult circumstances of suffering and pain. We do not get immediately all the things we need to feel secure and provided for. The timely delivery of goods from God is only the least benefit of prayer. The much greater, and most immediate benefit of prayer is a peace that surpasses all understanding.
See 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.”
There is peace in being relieved of distractions, peace in being assured, peace in being relieved of care cast upon the Lord, and peace in being reminded who that Lord is who cares for you so as to hear your prayer. This peace is all about God’s identity and our relationship to Him in Christ. These things are immutable, meaning they cannot change or be altered in any way.
Prayer draws us back into those wonderful unchanging truths. Prayers centers us and realigns us to the reality of God. Peace is perhaps the most profound expression of that operation, but it is not the only one. Clearer perception, spiritual refreshing, and joy: all of these are to be found through prayer. Whatever good is from being nearer to God. that good is to be received from prayer.
Of course, the great good is God Himself, everything is simply the symptom of having been with God. It is the radiance of Moses’ face after he had seen the least part of God’s glory pass by. In all the descriptions of what we gain from prayer, we really speak only of the benefits of knowing God. God himself is the object, and what we describe as benefits are only feeble attempts to point toward excellencies that exceed our ability to express.
We were made to be in a relationship with God, to communicate with Him as a regular rhythm of life. Apart from that our lives are lived in dissonance. Prayer restores the consonance and brings the realization of harmony with our design. This is a very academic way of saying what Augustine said so simply in his Confessions: we are restless until we rest in God.
I pray sincerely the point is clarified for our good and God’s glory. Still, it is worthwhile to delve into the pitfalls of selfishness that infect our prayers and keep them from achieving their truest aims.
Lord's Library participates in affiliate programs. We may make a small commission from products purchased through this resource.
- What to Pray For & How to Do It: For What Shall We Pray? - February 23, 2025
- The Dangers of Manipulative Prayer & How to Avoid It - February 23, 2025
- How to Pray According to the Bible: How Should We Pray? - February 23, 2025
