It was useless. All the long prayers before bed, reciting the same words each night: “Please heal me”, “help me recover”, “Why is this happening to me, Lord?”. What was once hope turned its back on her. Instead, sorrow, weakness, pain, and grief embraced her. Her constant prayers felt useless. Meaningless. Foolish even. She started asking herself the same question each night: “Why bother praying? If God really heard them, surely I wouldn’t be sick like this…right?”. Slowly yet swiftly, her daily prayers faded, and those words that she would recite were lost…
Why Pray?
God, without a doubt, knows our needs and desires, with or without our pleas, and by His providence, He meets those needs. So, if this is the case, then what is the point of prayer?
Well, God does know our needs and desires, but He calls and teaches us to express them through prayer. Why? Prayer helps us confess our weakness, humbles us to admit our need for Him, and makes us acknowledge our dependence on God. However, prayer also benefits us. It prepares our hearts to glorify His name. However, God is not our genie; He does not exist to grant our (probably more than three) wishes. Talking to God brings us closer to Him, creating a personal relationship. A.W. Pink quoted: “Prayer is not designed for the furnishing of God with the knowledge of what we need, but it is designed as a confession to Him of our sense of need.” – In simpler words, prayer was not meant to tell God what we need but to admit that we are weak.
We don’t pray to give God a nudge or reminder of our needs; instead, it deepens our dependence on Him and strengthens our relationship with Him.
“Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.”
– Philippians 4:6
Philippians 4:6 tells us that we should always come to God, letting out our anger, sadness, fear, happiness, sorrow, and thankfulness – everything! Regardless of the circumstances, God will be there to listen to us. He wants us to talk to Him!
So why pray?
- Because God has commanded us to pray
- Prayer causes us to depend on Him and build our relationship with Him
- To talk to Him is a privilege alone
Can it change God’s mind?
So…if we pray earnestly, will it change God’s mind? Will He turn from His decision and change His actions?
No, prayer cannot change God’s mind, for that is not the purpose of prayer. The Bible teaches us that some things are set from all eternity, meaning that they will inevitably come to pass. Even if it were an entire family, church, or country praying for one specific plea, God’s decision has long been made. It would not change one bit. The mind of God cannot and will not change, simply because God Himself does not change. If He were to change His mind, He would change too, which goes against His very nature.
However, this does not therefore mean that prayer makes no difference in life. Prayer may not be able to change God’s mind, but it can certainly change other things. The promise said in the Bible is that:
“The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective.”
– James 5:16
The verses tell us that a prayer of the righteous is powerful and can truly make a difference. There’s just one problem. We’re not that righteous, so the ‘other things’ that prayer can change are the wickedness and hardness of our hearts, giving us a reason to pray.
What Now?
So, knowing all this, when should we pray?
Anytime! God is always open for us to run to Him; He, in fact, wants us to seek and depend on Him. Prayer should not be limited to just before bed or before dinner; there are no rules on when God will or wants to listen to you. God will always be there, waiting and listening to whatever you would like to tell Him. We should also acknowledge and remember that we are speaking to the ultimate Creator and King, yet He invites us all to talk to Him whenever we’d like. Prayer is a great privilege!
