The
question, “Why pray?” is so vital that if we do not have a reasonable answer,
our prayer life may be weakened. Some of us may not have a reasonable answer to
this question. Others may doubt the power of prayer because of the adversities
that they have faced. Either which way, our spiritual life would crumble if our
prayer is not effective.A
Sincere
Christians growing in their faith may have genuine questions. These questions
should be reasonably answered to enable them to continue in their spiritual
growth in Christ. So let us think through the question - Why should I pray?
This question could be asked from various contexts.
One such
context is this: Why do I have to pray for my friend to believe in Christ when
God knows whether or not my friend would believe in HIM? God knows, even before
I pray, whether my friend would believe in Christ or not. So why should I pray?
Another
similar context is the prayer for deliverance. Only God knows whether or not I would
be delivered from my suffering. Since God is the only one who has the power to
deliver me, why waste time in prayer, when prayer will not play any definite
role in my deliverance?
Various
contexts, such as this, could be offered to validate the question, “Why pray?”
Let us
consider the instance of praying for a friend to believe in Christ. If we
decide not to pray for our friend (because we know that our prayer will not
bring about our friend’s conversion), then we are not being a genuine friend. More
importantly, we need to know that our decision (or rebellion) to not pray stems
out of a serious dissatisfaction in our finiteness as a human being. In other
words, we want to be God (we want to know the future), this desire is subconsciously there in us, but we do
not know the future (we cannot be God). Hence, in our anger and
dissatisfaction, we refuse to pray.
Conversion
is effected by the activity of God (HE loved us and died for us) and man (he should freely believe in God). As a good friend, we may share the good news
or testify about God and HIS goodness to our friend. We may even resolve his
doubts. God will also do everything possible to draw our friend to HIMSELF.
However, the decision to believe in God is our friend’s decision. We cannot
force our friend to believe in Christ.
We question
the efficacy of prayer because we are ignorant of our friend’s future – whether
or not he will believe in Christ. We are dissatisfied that we are not
omniscient (omniscience is a necessary attribute of God and not man). We are
dissatisfied that we are not God. Hence we refuse to pray for our friend.
Think about
this. Is this a good reason to not pray?
No! We
should pray. But why?
First, we
pray because we can ask for that
which we need. Just as how a child requests a parent, we can ask our Heavenly
Father. It’s our prerogative to ask and it’s God prerogative to answer. Second,
we need to be humble enough to
accept whatever God offers us, for we know that God is just, good and loving.
Hence, HIS decisions are always correct.
But you may
still ask, “What would one learn here that otherwise would not be possible
without prayer?”
We pray to love,
trust, and understand God in a growing measure. When we pray we get spiritually
closer to God. Significantly, when we pray, we are at peace with God. We will
be at peace with God even when our prayers are not answered or when things do
not go our way (e.g. betrayal, death, joblessness etc) despite our fervent
pleas.
But you may
still ask, “Do our prayers of asking God to change the situation make any
sense? How then should we pray? Moreover, how do the prayers in Old Testament make
sense (e.g. 2 Samuel 12:16)?
Yes, it
does make sense to ask God to change the situation, for no one wants to exist
in an adverse situation. Even the second person of the blessed Trinity, the Son, asked the first person of the blessed Trinity, the Father, to
change HIS situation, “Father, if you are willing, take this cup from me…”
(Luke 22:42, NIV).
The second
part of this verse offers an answer to the question, “How should we pray?” The
second part of Luke 22:42 states, “…yet not my will, but yours be done.” So let
us pray for God’s will to be done and let us pray according to the will of God,
“And this is the confidence which we have in him, that if we ask anything according to his will he hears us.” (1 John
5:14, RSV, Emphasis Mine).
(This does
not mean that God does not hear any prayer that is not offered according to HIS
will, for God, as an omniscient being, knows what we will say, even before we say
it.)
How do we
make sense of the prayers in the Old Testament? Consider the prayer of David in
2 Samuel 12, “…the Lord struck the child that Uriah’s wife had borne to David,
and he became ill. David pleaded with
God for the child. He fasted and spent the nights lying in sackcloth on the
ground.” (v15b, 16, Emphasis Mine). David’s understanding of God was impeccable
in this instance.
David
prayed to God for seven days for the healing of his child. God refused to heal
the child. The child died. David’s response to his child’s death was
fascinating, for he submitted himself to God’s will, “On the seventh day the
child died. David’s attendants were afraid to tell him that the child was dead,
for they thought, “While the child was still living, he wouldn’t listen to us
when we spoke to him. How can we now tell him the child is dead? He may do
something desperate.” David noticed that
his attendants were whispering among themselves, and he realized the child was
dead. “Is the child dead?” he asked. “Yes,” they replied, “he is dead.” Then
David got up from the ground. After he had washed, put on lotions and changed
his clothes, he went into the house of the Lord and worshiped. Then he went
to his own house, and at his request they served him food, and he ate. His
attendants asked him, “Why are you acting this way? While the child was alive,
you fasted and wept, but now that the child is dead, you get up and eat!” He answered, “While the child was still
alive, I fasted and wept. I thought, ‘Who knows? The Lord may be gracious to me
and let the child live.’ But now that he is dead, why should I go on fasting?
Can I bring him back again? I will go to him, but he will not return to me.””
(2 Samuel 12: 18-23, NIV, Emphasis Mine).
So let us
pray continually. There is nothing wrong in asking, so let us ask God,
according to HIS will. Ask God to spiritually enrich our life, and God will
certainly do it, for this is God’s will that we know, love, and grow in HIM.
But if we ask God to enable us to be the next Billy Graham or a famous
Christian evangelist, HE need not fulfill our request. This request need not be
according to God’s will.
Finally,
there’s a problem with my title, “Why pray when everything happens as how God
determines?” My title is incorrect because God does not determine everything
that happens in this world. It is not difficult for God to not control
everything. God, who is maximally great, is all-powerful, so God can control
everything. But God refrains from controlling everything that happens in our
universe.
For
instance, it is my decision to write this blog now. (Of course, I cannot write
this blog unless God blesses it. I need to live, be sane, and have a fair
amount of understanding of the Scripture to write this blog. My life, my
sanity, and my understanding of the Scripture are God’s blessings in my life.)
I could have written this blog later, but I decided to write now. Similarly, you
are reading this blog out of your own freewill. (It is also our decision to not
smoke, drink or to steal. We can go on and on.)
Last but not the least; we have an adversary –
the Satan, who tempts us. However, prayer is the God given means to overcome
temptation (Matthew 26:41). When we pray fervently, God will strengthen us to
overcome our temptations (Hebrews 2:18) and HE will enable us to cast Satan out
of our lives (Mark 9:29).
Endnotes:
A What is an effective prayer? A person’s prayer
would be effective, if he/she places absolute trust in God. When a child asks
or pleads with the father, the child believes that the father has the ability
and the power to provide. In other words, if the child doubts the father, then
the intensity of his request would be weak.
Think about this, a weak request is not a genuine request; a
weak request is a disingenuous request. A disingenuous request (a request that is
not genuine) need not be requested, because our request is to God, who is the
maximally great being (all-knowing & all-powerful). (Since God knows that
our request is not genuine, HE need not answer our request.)
