Frontline

We find it hard to pray, but God has not left us alone. We may not be able to call God on the telephone or send him a letter, but God is just as real as an e-mail or a newspaper. Why should we pray? Because it makes our relationship with God stronger. Could you imagine trying to have a best friend without communicating with them? Prayer is seeking God and his direction in our lives. Praying also helps keep us out of trouble. Jesus told us to pray; "Watch and pray so that you will not fall into temptation. The spirit is willing, but the body is weak." (Matthew 26 v 41).

Prayer not only establishes our relationship with God, but is essential in maintaining that relationship. The example of friends can be used again - Friends with a good relationship are in constant communication with each other.

Prayer is also;

- Recognizing who God is and offering Him glory, honor, and adoration. Examples of this are found throughout the Bible, especially in the Psalms. Jesus illustrates this in the Lord’s Prayer in Matthew 6 v 9 - 13.

- Seeking direction from God. In Matthew 7 v 7 -11, Jesus talks about asking, seeking, and knocking, “For everyone who asks, receives. Everyone who seeks finds. And the door is opened to everyone who knocks.” Jesus encourages us to ask God for things.

So why pray?
Prayer is the main way we develop our relations with God. Sometimes people say that there is no need for praying because God knows everything that we need but there can be no relationship without communication. Praying can be hard but we are not alone, Jesus encourages us to ask God for things, but asking is not the only way to pray, there are other forms of prayer, such as; thanksgiving, praise, adoration, confession and listening. As long as we remember that God always has our backs, that he is always there, (“You have hedged me behind and before, and laid Your hand upon me”, Psalm 139 v 5) then we need not worry about sounding silly or stupid when we pray.