Discovering the Purpose of Prayer
By: Katie Davidson
I was just a couple months pregnant and scrolled past a social media post that caught my attention. A mom shared her experience of prayer in pregnancy, and how she prayed very specifically for outcomes she desired for her labor experience. To her delight, in God’s kindness, He answered almost every prayer—exactly, down to the letter.
“Huh,” I thought, “Maybe I should try this prayerful pregnancy thing.” And so I set out determined to have the most prayer-soaked pregnancy possible. I decided to start waking up an hour earlier to walk and talk with God in the mornings. If I am being honest, my motivation for prayer was less a holy pursuit of God and more a desperation for relief. I was extremely nauseous and in almost constant pain—but this pain brought me to the throne of my Father and there I prayed very specific prayers over my delivery, confident that I was heard.
I prayed for the pain in my hips to subside.
I prayed for a hospital room with a window.
I prayed for space to walk around.
I prayed for a room with a tub for pain relief.
I prayed to get to the hospital with significant labor progress.
I prayed for a cozy, supportive atmosphere.
I prayed for a safe delivery.
I prayed for a specific doctor.
I prayed for somehow, my delivery to be worshipful.
Day after day, morning after morning, I walked and talked with God. I repeated my prayer requests. At first, the walks felt a bit mechanical, but eventually, I extended my walk a little more each morning to spend more time talking with God.
Little by little, my prayer requests faded to the background of my motivation. I just wanted God, more and more of Him. I found myself carrying prayer far beyond my morning walk.
And suddenly, labor struck. My prayer-soaked pregnancy would surely result in answered prayer, right?
Wrong. Kind of.
The night my daughter entered the world, our local hospital did not have birthing rooms available. I labored in triage. For six hours I labored in that tiny triage room—far from my dream natural birth scenario. I did not get a hospital room with a window. I did not get a tub for pain relief. I did not have space to walk around. My desired doctor had called out. And the atmosphere was far from cozy.
But do you know what I did get? The presence of God. The prayer I practiced each morning became a habit, and as I labored on with my daughter, I talked to God—sometimes in my head, sometimes aloud. I was at peace. Because He was at my right hand, I could not be shaken (Psalm 16:8). Unmistakably, I knew God was with me and involved in every detail, no matter how far the scenario veered from my prayer requests.
At 3:08 in the morning, I met my daughter—she was safe and healthy and beautiful.
I learned something valuable that night. Paul’s command to the Thessalonians to “rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in everything; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus” is not a formula to getting what you want, it’s a formula to getting to know your good God (1 Thessalonians 5:16–18). Prayer is not a means to an end; it’s the means through which we experience Jesus. Prayer is less about requests and more about relationship.
God gave me far more than I asked or desired—He gave me Himself. He taught me that the power of prayer is His presence—the miraculous truth that the God of the universe—the God who knit my daughter together in my womb—is near and hears my prayers.
I will truly never be the same.
I think of that pain-ridden, prayer-soaked pregnancy as a clear marker of exponential spiritual growth in my life. In God’s gracious kindness, He took my desperate pleas for pain relief and turned them into desperation for His presence.
Prayer is powerful. And petitionary prayer is important—He might just answer your every request. But as you make requests, remember why you are able to make requests in the first place. Jesus, your King of kings became the Lamb of God so that by His wounds, you may be healed (1 Peter 2:24). You are righteous before God, able to come before your Heavenly Father, not as an enemy but as a child. You can bend your Father’s ear because His Firstborn paid your debt (Colossians 1:15). God made a way to come close. The power of prayer is God's presence—His presence which has pursued you each day of your life.
I am convinced—prayer requests granted or not—that His goodness and mercy will follow me everywhere I go (Psalm 23:6).
Are you convinced of this today?
