Why, when and what do we pray?
5 min reading time
If you missed the first part of this post, check out Is There A Right Way to Pray? where we dive into how to pray.
And now that we’ve got that part down…
Why do we pray?
Prayer is a privilege! If you are in Christ, you have a direct line to the God of the Universe. Think about that! You don’t need a priest. You don’t need a pastor. YOU can talk to Him!
Prayer unites us, it is a weapon against the enemy,1 it lets the Holy Spirit inside of you commune and intercede — especially when you can’t find the words.2
We pray to show reverence to a Holy God and to exercise our Faith. It helps us abide in Him - this is His ultimate goal for us btw - and it helps us trust Him.
When do we pray?
In a perfect world, first thing in the morning. I’ll admit this is a huge struggle for me right now. I have every intention of getting up at 6am… and I snooze at least 7 times until a 5 year old boy replaces my snoozefest by barging through my door or a 2 year old girl screams MOM (a la Stewie from Family Guy) until the pillow over my head can't drown it out any longer.
While I know God doesn’t work on a point system, I personally feel more prepared for the day ahead of me when I’ve spent time in the word and prayer first thing in the morning.
But don’t stop there! We’re instructed to pray without ceasing.3 That’s a lot. This doesn’t have to be head down, hands folded, diligently walking through the ACTS steps everytime. Let the Holy Spirit guide you!
Pray before that hard phone call. Pray before you discipline your child. Pray before your date. Pray before your night out with friends. Pray before you go to sleep. Pray pray pray!
I also love praying while I walk. When I can withstand the addiction withdrawals and leave my dang phone at home, it's always glorious. There’s something about taking in His creation while speaking to Him that feels so HOLY.
What do we pray for?
Anything you dadgumwant. Really. Anything. When we pray to be aligned with God’s will, we can pray for anything without shame or fear or condemnation because by praying in His will, we surrender ours.
By praying according to His will,4 even when we really, really, really want our own will, He postures our heart to trust his will over ours -- even when we don’t want to.
Story time…
We currently really, really, really want to add-on to our house. Our 5 and 2 year old share a room and all 4 of us share a bathroom. (Please don’t feel sorry for us, it’s because we turned our Master into a playroom, and honestly if I have to move a pink toddler potty 11 times a day to use the commode as an adult from here until Kingcome come, it’s worth the playroom everytime). SO though we want to solve this uptown “problem” like yesterday, we continue pray for this to happen in his timing and according to His will. It is a huge gut punch to understand His will might not ever include a bigger house for us, but it’s an act of trust and humility to believe He knows best!
ALSO, we need to pray specific prayers.
We serve a personal God who knows every hair on your head5 and every desire of your heart.6 He longs to hear the intricacies of your day, your needs, your struggles! Yes of course, pray for healing and health, but take it a step further and pray by name, by circumstance, by desired outcome. You can even go so far as to pray by a specific date! Y’all I mean it! I’m not prosperity-gospelling you, I promise. My intent is to encourage you in knowing your Heavenly Father wants to be so intimately intertwined with your faith and maturity in Him, you can pray detailed, BIG prayers and expect Him to move.
Sometimes He doesn’t though, and that’s ok.
In this instance, we trust He’s moving somewhere we cannot see, always, always working things together for those who are called according to His purpose.7 You see those last few words? According to His purpose. When we rest in this, we always circle back to peace and trust in the God who made you8 and will never let you down.9
What if I don’t feel like praying?
I’ve been there. Sometimes life can just beat you down so much you cannot do it. And because He is a loving, detailed Father, He knew in our flesh this would happen, so you know what He did about it?
He sent Jesus, and He gifted us the Holy Spirit.
If you have accepted Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior, you’ve been sealed with the Holy Spirit10 in your heart. Did you know the Holy Spirit intercedes for you when you don’t know what to pray or are just too beaten down to try? Romans 8:26 tells us, “For even when we don’t know what to pray, the Holy Spirit intercedes for us through wordless groans.” Y’all. Can you even? The next time you cannot pray for whatever reason, call on the Holy Spirit to do it for you! And He will!
As I step into this week, I’m clinging to the promise God is for us and He wants to commune with us through prayer. He wants to talk to us! The God of the Universe wants to talk to you. No matter how big or small, petty or regretful your need is, pray. No matter how far you’ve strayed or how hypocritically you’ve behaved, pray. No matter how hard it is to trust Him with this particular need, PRAY. He’s listening, and He loves you.
Father God, you are so good. You are only good. We forget this so often, and we seek your good gifts over YOU. Forgive us Lord! Thank you for the open line of communication to You, the God of the UNIVERSE, because of your Son’s sacrifice. When you see us, you see Him. When you see us, you have nothing but love because we are your adopted child through Jesus’s blood. Thank you. Father, we need your help with something. Right now, the person reading this has a very specific request to make, according to your will and your will alone Lord: ____________________________. We believe you hear this and you are working all things for their good. Above all, help them trust you in this promise, regardless of the outcome, Lord. If it doesn’t go the way they hope, pull them to you. If it does, pull them to you. Either way, knit their hearts closer to yours - your greatest desire for us! We ask you and thank you in Jesus name! Amen.
Verses referenced herein for further study:
Ephesians 6:18
Romans 8:26
1 Thes 5:17
1 John 5:14
Luke 12:7
Psalm 37:4
Romans 8:28
Psalm 139:13
Deutoronomy 31:8
Ephesians 1:13