I have about a twenty-minute drive to and from work every day. Usually, I will talk to someone on the phone or listen to music or an audiobook to keep my mind preoccupied. However, there are some days when the silence is welcoming.

Because my family and I have been walking through some hard seasons, worry was the first thing on my mind during one of those silent drives home recently. I was going through all my regular “what-if” scenarios in these various situations, working myself up into a tizzy, when the Spirit’s voice firmly and gently prompted me to be still and listen.

In that moment, He showed me that I was trying to maintain control over circumstances that were out of my control. I was already planning for the potential “next thing” that may never even come to pass. I was trying to take the role of God, figuring out how situations would (and should) be resolved. But I was not living in the moment. I was refusing to take things in stride. My soul was not at rest.

The Spirit prompted me to take in every moment with His guidance instead of looking ahead to all the future possibilities. He promised me grace in the failures and strength in repentance. Needless to say, it was impossible to argue with the truth, because He confronted me with His gentleness.

If I had decided to fill the silence with distractions and ignore His voice that day, instead of pausing to hear Him I would have missed out on His presence. I would have missed out on His love. I would have missed out on the power of prayer.

Why Should I Pray?

We are all told that prayer is powerful and important to our Christian walk. But why exactly should we pray? Why should we make this practice a regular priority in our lives? What do we have to gain from it as Christians?

First of all, we pray because God commands us to do so. In 1 Thessalonians 5:17, Paul tells the church at Thessaloniki, “Pray without ceasing” (ESV). The assumption here is that members of the Church—and the Church as a whole—are praying. Because we love God, we obey Him. And one of the commandments He gives us is to pray.

Second, we pray because it brings us closer in relationship to the Lord, allowing us to communicate directly with Him. The psalmist declares in Psalm 116 how prayer affected him: “I love the Lord, because he has heard my voice and my pleas for mercy. Because he inclined his ear to me, therefore I will call on him as long as I live” (Psalm 116:1–2, ESV). The Lord heard the psalmist and answered his plea for help. Being able to call upon the name of the Lord and the Lord responding to him affected the psalmist’s relationship with the Lord, increasing his love and gratitude for Him.

Overall, prayer is part of sanctification. Through prayer, we confess our sins, worship our Savior, and request His will. While we often pray in expectation of what we would prefer for an outcome, we still grow closer to Him whether the Lord grants us the result that we want or not. We also grow to trust Him to answer in our best interests. Through prayer, we gather wisdom to know the next steps forward and the strength in faith to execute them. God works in us through prayer.

How to Pray

We know why prayer is important, but how exactly do we go about practicing it well? Thankfully, the Lord has communicated through His Word with explicit instructions on how to pray according to His will.

In the New Testament, Jesus instructs His followers to pray like this: “Father, hallowed be your name. Your kingdom come. Give us each day our daily bread, and forgive us our sins, for we ourselves forgive everyone who is indebted to us. And lead us not into temptation” (Luke 11:2b-4, ESV). These are not just words we should pray; they are also an example of the way we should pray in general. The Lord’s prayer emulates: 1) praising God, 2) petitioning God’s will, 3) requesting His provision, 4) seeking His forgiveness, 5) asking for the strength to forgive, and 6) calling upon Him for deliverance from the temptation to sin. All of these aspects of the Lord’s prayer can and should guide the way that we pray in our own words.

When we pray, we should also have the appropriate attitude. The writer of Hebrews encourages Christians to “with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need” (Hebrews 4:16, ESV). Since Christ is our Mediator, we are given the opportunity to commune with the God of the Universe. This does not mean that He is our equal; rather, He will listen to us and respond to us with our best interests at heart because He loves us.

There is so much of God to experience. May we therefore make prayer a priority to deepen our relationship with the Lord. Consider: What concern do you need the Lord to bring you wisdom for? What is a blessing you can praise Him for? Let’s be intentional in our prayer lives today.

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Author Bio

Leslie Williams writes with a passion for helping women grow in their knowledge of Scripture and confidence in their faith. She teaches online as an adjunct professor at Liberty University and holds an MDiv in Pastoral Counseling. She is currently a PhD student in the Theological Studies program at Liberty Theological Seminary. In her free time, Leslie enjoys reading, running, and meaningful conversations over coffee.

Additional Resources:

Pray Bible Study		Prayers for Your Day		The Lord's Prayer Bible Study		The Prayer Handbook: A Comprehensive Guide to the Practice of Prayer
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