Why do we pray? We pray because God has given us the method of prayer to glorify Himself by meeting our needs. When He meets our needs, we can do His will and His work. An example of this is that God raises up a man, a woman or a group of believers, to pray about a matter; and through prayers, He accomplishes His work. In the Old Testament, it was God’s plan that David become king of Israel and that from David’s family the Redeemer would be born. God raised up Hannah to pray for a son, and that son, Samuel, anointed David to be king. God had a timetable for His people and had planned that they would be delivered from captivity after seventy years. David came to understand this promise and immediately began to pray that the Lord would fulfill it, and God did. Asking humbles us and glorifies God.
"Prayer is the means God has ordained to glorify Himself by sharing His love with His children, meeting their needs, and accomplishing His purposes through their lives and the lives of others."
- Warren W. Wiersbe
Prayer Tip # 14 - Asking is the Rule of the Kingdom
Enter into His gates with thanksgiving,
And into His courts with praise.
Be thankful to Him, and bless His name.
For the Lord is good;
His mercy is everlasting,
And His truth endures to all generations.
Psalm 100:4-5
We will not understand completely the mysterious relationship between the eternal counsels of God, God’s promises, and the cries of God’s people, nor is it necessary that we understand. God has given us the privilege of prayer so that we might share in His great work of saving sinners and building His church.
Prayer Points –
Begin with worship, and glorify God.
Enter into intimate fellowship expressing your love to God.
Ask the Lord for what we need.
Intercede by asking God for what others need.
SUGGESTED PRAYER –
Lord, You are above all and in all! You love us unendingly and we want to thank You for Your grace and mercy to us. Without You bringing us to Yourself by providing salvation, we would be eternally separated from You. You are so loving and kind, we worship You. Help us to glorify Your Name in our lives. We love You for reaching out to us when we are undeserving and for answering our prayers, when we pray according to Your will. We ask for Your wisdom, protection and peace for ourselves and all of those in the body of Christ. Your faithfulness is great and we praise You.
In Jesus' Name, amen.