I’m just gonna say it: prayer is hard for me. It’s not because I don’t believe God CAN, but rather because I fully believe in His steadfast love and sovereign plan in all circumstances. So, why does He need me to pray? In today’s article, I’ll share 3 reasons I’ve learned prayer is essential for MY heart and GOD’S glory.
Reason #1 to Pray: Obeying God
In Luke 18, the Parable of the Persistent Widow, Jesus clearly endorses persistence in prayer:
Jesus told his disciples a parable to show them that they should always pray and not give up. Luke 18:1
Jesus is God-in-Flesh; however, He knows how difficult faithfulness in prayer is for us 100% humans. He’s witnessed, firsthand, that the human spirit can’t be perfectly obedient while on earth, as proven by millennia of human failure to perfectly obey the Law. Musing on the reality of what humans endure in this world, Jesus asks this broken-hearted question:
When the Son of Man comes [again], will he find faith on the earth? Luke 18:8
He knows many of us have already and will again give up on prayer. So, what can help us grow into more faithful prayer? Remember that Jesus was a real Person, unlike the fictional characters in a “Biblical fiction” novel! Jesus, His disciples, and those who heard him tell this parable were all very real. I wonder if they heard the same heartbreak in his tone that I do while reading that parable.
The pain in Jesus’s words isn’t merely disappointment that all humans will fail if they try to persistently pray because we’re “supposed to.” That’s following a self-made Law. Our only true motivation is to know the Loving Savior who died to give us: 1) eternal grace from the very Throne of God, and 2) the indwelling Holy Spirit.
When I remember all He sacrificed to give me these two precious gifts, it completely changes my motivation to pray. Now, I want to be faithful in prayer.
How about you?
Reason #2 to Pray: Because Prayer Changes ME
How many times in the midst of pain, grief, loss, and discouragement have I prayed a similar prayer to Jesus at Gethsemane:
“Father, if you are willing, take this cup from me.” Luke 22:42
It’s a valid prayer. Jesus knew that He must bear the punishment for the world’s salvation and that it would be more than any human could comprehend. Not only did He pray for deliverance from the excruciating pain of a Roman cross and ruthless beatings, but also the humiliation, hate, and persecution–His own and His disciples’, present and future.
Even though He knew His Father wouldn’t take the cup from Him, he still poured out His heart and mind to the only one who HELD CONTROL OVER THE CIRCUMSTANCE. Jesus, the Son of God, could have controlled everything from his arrest to death, but He leaned into His humanness when He added to His initial request:
“Yet not my will, but yours be done.” Luke 22:42
With those simple—but humanly impossible—words, Jesus gave up HIS control and trusted His Father’s GOOD PLAN for His death (and resurrection), His disciples, His blood-mother’s grief, and every other CHILD OF GOD the Father had promised to give Him.
Reason #3 to Pray: Jesus Loves the Children
The thing that helps me give grace to others and myself is better understanding of Jesus’s love for children. Children obey—and disobey. Do we stop loving them when they make a mistake? Do we cut them off from the family when they disobey? God doesn’t. Though our HUMAN reaction may cause us to answer, “YES! Someone close to me has ruined our relationship.” But that’s not modeling Jesus–or our Heavenly Father. We must be willing to be made willing (Phil. 2:13) and then follow Father God’s model of eternal parenting.
[During Jesus’s earthly ministry…] People brought babies to Jesus for him to place his hands on them. When the disciples saw this, they rebuked them. But Jesus called the children to him and said, “Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these.” Luke 18:15–16
What sort of kids do you think the parents brought to Him? Some brought babies (v. 15), but I’ll bet there were other kids placed in Jesus’s lap whose parents were at the end of their ropes! Jesus welcomed and loved the rowdy kids, the sneaky kids, the lying kids, and even the kids who were an embarrassment to their families.
How Can We Model Our Lives After Jesus’s Example?
If you have “God’s kids” in your life—or perhaps your own child, no matter his/her age, who has brought you to the end of your rope—in prayer, carry these children of our Heavenly Father to His eternal throne. Picture yourself placing this errant child of God in His lap, then pour out your heartbreak and frustrations to the One who is faithful to hear you. Then, picture yourself leaving that child of God in His lap, knowing that our Heavenly Father knows and loves him/her more than you do.
WE ONLY HAVE CONTROL OVER OUR OWN HEARTS & CHOICES. And only God can work from within His kids—us and our family, friends, and enemies—to mold each one into an open vessel. Only with God’s help (indwelling Holy Spirit) can we make righteous choices, for which God has promised eternal blessing. On earth, we may have a lifetime of hardships, but for those who choose to believe and persistently pray for God’s good plan, we win heavenly crowns to forever cast at Jesus’s feet!
Eternity In My Prayers
To pray unceasingly, we must settle ONE TRUTH in our “new-creation” hearts:
Is God completely, perfectly GOOD?
When we truly believe God is not only all-powerful and all-knowing, but He also allows only trials in our lives that can result in His glory and our good. That includes EVERYTHING that comes our way.
If you believe this single truth, there will be no more questions like, “How could a good God allow this?” If we’ve settled, once and for all, that GOD IS GOOD, we never need to voice that question aloud. Does this mean I never pour out in prayer my fear, anxiety, anger, and disappointment? Just the opposite! Ask God directly, “How could YOU let this happen?” and pour out everything you’re feeling and thinking to the One who knows you best.
I’ve learned through chronic pain (since 1997) that even in my suffering, He has gained glory and made me a more compassionate person. Do I get weary in the battle? Absolutely. But my certainty that God is GOOD–all the time–helps me stay watchful for His faithfulness.
Some Helpful Tools
A few years ago, one of our daughters created a sign for my mom’s living room wall, “Jesus Is Faithful.” That 3-word declaration had been my mom’s life motto since she fell in love with Jesus in the early 1970’s–and it’s the very bread of her life at age 95. The next time you go into your prayer closet, I hope your heart will be able to cry, “Jesus Is Faithful!” no matter what hardships you’re facing.
This song is also a great help when I need to find a way to praise Him–and become more persistent in prayer. I hope it does the same for you.
