Mission Venture Ministries

After He had dismissed them, He went up on a mountainside by himself to pray. (Matthew 14:23)

The answer is because it was very important to Jesus, as He prayed frequently (Matthew 14:23; 26:36; Mark 6:46; Luke 5:16; John 17). Our Savior is our most important example, therefore we should emulate Him.  There are many examples in the Bible of people calling upon God and getting answers to their prayers. God wants believers to have fellowship with Him and that is accomplished through prayer. In essence prayer is communion with God and an intimate bond with our Creator and Savior.

Here are several reasons why prayer is so important:

• Praying helps us to grow closer to God – When we pray, we are welcoming God to be in every part of our lives. The more we spend time talking and listening to God through prayer, the closer we get to Him, and He will draw closer to us (James 4:8).

Psalm 145:18 tells us that, The LORD is near to all who call on Him, to all who call on Him in truth. 

And in Jeremiah 29:12-13 we read, then you will call upon Me and come and pray to Me, and I will listen to you. You will seek Me and find Me when you search for Me with all your heart.

• Prayer helps us to align ourselves with God’s will – When we pray according to God’s will we are asking Him to lead us and help us in our journey through life. Prayer is a way for us to surrender our lives to God and trust that He will lead us down the path He has planned for us. When we take the time to pray, we are opening up a dialogue with our Creator. When we do this, we are able to hear from Him and are capable to discern the will of God for our lives thru the Holy Spirit that lives in us. Paul said that, My God will meet all your needs according to the riches of His glory in Christ Jesus (Philippians 4:19).

• We pray to seek God’s wisdom and guidance, especially during times we need to make an important decision. When the going gets rough and we don’t know what to do, it’s important to remember that we should seek guidance from God. Prayer is the perfect way to welcome God to help us. When we pray for wisdom, we are asking God to help us understand what we should do in a certain situation. And when we pray for guidance, we are asking God to show us the path that we should take. Therefore, if any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you (James 1:5). 

• Prayer gives us strength and hope – When we pray, we are reminded that He is in control and will help us through whatever situation we are facing because we know that God is always there for us. He will always give us the strength and hope we need to get through anything. My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever (Psalm 73:26).

Prayer is like charging our spiritual battery. Many of us use cell phones. What happens if we continue using the phone and never charge it? The answer is obvious, the battery will run down and the phone will stop working until it is once more fully charged. In the same way we cannot afford not to pray.

• Another importance of prayer is that it puts our faith into action –When we make time to talk to God, it helps us to keep our focus on Him and His promises instead of our circumstances which in turn increases our faith. So if you are looking for ways to increase your faith, start with prayer because it is one of the best things that any one of us can do so, that your faith might not rest on human wisdom but on God’s power (1 Corinthians 2:5). 

• The importance of prayer is also evident when trouble comes – Whenever we pray, we are reminded that we are not alone in this world and that God is always with us. He will never leave us or forsake us (Deuteronomy 31:6). Therefore, even when everything else seems to be falling apart, we can find hope and peace in Him through prayer. Philippians 4:7 tells us that, the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. 

• Through prayer we are delivered from temptations – And when He was at the place, He said to them ‘pray that you enter not into temptation . . . And He said to them, why do you sleep? Rise and pray lest you enter into temptation (Luke 22:40, 46). 

Prayer makes us able to withstand temptations. Many have fallen and have been defeated because they neglected prayer. Our enemy, the devil, the tempter is in business of weakening and destroying believers. Jesus encourages us to pray lest we fall into temptation. Prayer is the key to our rescue.

• Prayer is vital when we are filled with guilt because of sin, for it allows us to pour out our hearts to God, confessing our sins and asking for His forgiveness. When we are sincere in our prayer, He is faithful to forgive us and cleanse us from all unrighteousness (1 John 1:9).

• We pray to give thanks and praise – Praise and thanksgiving should be the lifestyle of every believer. Every Christian who praises God is a cheerful Christian and will always carry the presence of God around him. Essentially, prayer helps us to express our blessings and to reflect on His abounding grace and mercy. It is a good thing to give thanks unto the LORD, and to sing praises unto thy name, O most High. (Psalms 92:1).

Our gratitude through our prayers is an act of honoring God. It is an acknowledgment that everything we have and all the battles that we have won are because of God’s love for us. That is why prayer is important for us to exalt God and show our love for Him since, every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights (James 1:17).

There are many more reasons why it is important to pray. No matter what your situation is, God is longing for you to talk to Him through prayer. So, take it to God in prayer because, He wants to answer your prayers. He longs to hear your prayers. He wants to know that you trust Him, that you believe in Him to the point of coming to Him with all that is in your heart.

The Bible says “Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives; the one who seeks finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened” (Matthew 7:7-8). And another verse tells us: “You do not have because you do not ask God” (James 4:2). 

Remember, God is able to answer your prayers even beyond your expectations, “now to Him who is able to do far more abundantly beyond all that we ask or think, according to the power that works within us, to Him be the glory in the church and in Christ Jesus to all generations forever and ever. Amen” (Ephesians 3:20-21). 

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