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In the Bible, God commands people, multiple times, to pray. But why do we need to pray? This is a question many Christians have asked. If God is in control of ALL HUMANITY and also DIRECTS INDIVIDUAL LIVES, what’s the point of praying? The answer lies in understanding what prayer is.
Prayer is primarily a conversation between you and God, His promise to ALWAYS LISTEN may be the answer your heart needs most. Jeramiah repeats what God said, “CALL (pray) to Me, and I WILL ANSWER YOU, and SHOW YOU great and mighty things, which you do not know.” (Jeremiah 33:3) Jesus says that whoever asks receives, whoever seeks finds, and whoever knocks will find an open door (Matthew 7:7–8). But with this and all other verses we must EXAMINE THE CONTEXT (Context, most commonly refers to the environment or setting in which something exists.) Jesus goes on to say that God will not fail to give His children GOOD things (Matthew 7:11). So, this is one condition to the promise of “ask and receive”: what we ask for must be GOOD IN GOD’S ESTIMATION. God will give advantageous gifts to His children; He will not give us bad or injurious things, no matter how much we call for them. The best example of a good gift is the HOLY SPIRIT, according to (Luke 11:13). We begin to see a two-fold purpose of prayer—to increase our understanding of what God calls “good” and to promote a “desire” in us for what is good.
“LORD, I CRY OUT to You; Make haste to me! GIVE EAR TO MY VOICE when I cry out to You. LET MY PRAYER BE SET BEFORE YOU AS INCENSE, The lifting up of my hands as the evening sacrifice.” (Psalms 141:1-2) “Then another angel, having a golden censer, came and stood at the altar. He was given much incense, that he should offer it WITH THE PRAYERS OF ALL THE SAINTS upon the golden altar which was before the throne. And the smoke of the incense, WITH THE PRAYERS OF THE SAINTS, ascended before God from the angel’s hand.” (Revelation 8:3-4) Jesus prayed constantly. He would sometimes stay up ALL NIGHT to pray. He went away to LONELY PLACES to pray. He experienced everything we do. In the Garden of Gethsemane, He prayed for the cup of suffering TO PASS FROM HIM, “Jesus knelt down and prayed, saying, “Father, if it is Your will, take this cup away from Me; nevertheless, NOT MY WILL, BUT YOURS, BE DONE.” Then an angel appeared to Him from heaven, strengthening Him. And being in agony, He prayed MORE EARNESTLY. Then HIS SWEAT BECAME LIKE GREAT DROPS OF BLOOD falling down to the ground.” (Luke 22:41-44) Hematidrosis is a rare, but very real, MEDICAL CONDITION THAT CAUSES ONE’S SWEAT TO CONTAIN BLOOD. The sweat glands are surrounded by tiny blood vessels that can constrict and then dilate to the point of rupture, causing blood to effuse into the sweat glands. The cause of Hematidrosis is extreme anguish. In the other gospel accounts, we see the level of Jesus’ anguish: “My soul is overwhelmed with sorrow to the point of death.” (Mark 14:34)
THE PRAYER OF JESUS WAS ANSWERED IN OUR REDEMPTION, WE ARE BORN AGAIN WHEN WE ASK JESUS TO FORGIVE US FOR ALL OF OUR SIN AND WE BELIEVE IT ACTUALLY HAPPENS.
-Bill Stockham