Prayer Is a Means of Grace Ordained by God
Of all the disciplines that mark the Christian life, prayer is one we can never set aside. This is why no sermon is complete without some word of exhortation to pray. And yet, for the believer, prayer is never easy. Many of the faithful, even in the act of praying, find themselves troubled by doubt — Am I praying rightly? Why does my prayer go unanswered? Have I asked for the wrong thing?
What, then, is prayer? Simply put, it is bringing before God what we long for and desire. To entreat is to ask with earnest longing. Prayer, then, is coming before the God we trust and laying our requests before Him — asking Him to accomplish what lies beyond our strength and to resolve what we cannot resolve on our own.
Scripture describes this act in a rich variety of terms — to pray, to cry out, to petition, to plead, to entreat, to commune, to ask, to speak with God. This breadth of language itself testifies that prayer may be offered in any circumstance, at any time.
Scripture Is Filled with the Record of Answered Prayer
For this reason, Scripture overflows with accounts of prayer being answered. The sea parted like dry ground; water burst from the rock; armies were given victory in battle; fire fell from heaven; rain was withheld for three and a half years and then returned; the sick were healed; the dead were raised. The record is too extensive to list in full — and it is precisely this that has led many to call Scripture a book of miracles.
We Pray Because God Alone Is All-Powerful
Why, then, must we pray? Above all, because we are creatures bound by limitation. When we meet what our own strength and ability cannot overcome, we come before the God we trust — a God whose power knows no limit, who governs and rules this world, and who holds sovereign authority over the very course of human life. It is to Him we bring our need for help. The life of faith, too, cannot be sustained by our own strength or our own belief alone. To walk in the victory of faith, we need the help of God — and that help comes to us through prayer.
Christ Himself Modeled a Life of Prayer
Jesus Christ is equal with God the Father, and there is nothing beyond His power. He healed the sick, cast out demons, walked upon the water, raised the dead, and multiplied five loaves and two fish to feed a multitude. He had no need of prayer to work such wonders — His power was entirely His own.
And yet, throughout His earthly ministry, Christ Himself modeled for us a life given over to prayer. Before beginning His public ministry, He fasted and prayed for forty days. Before choosing the twelve, He prayed. He rose before dawn to pray. He kept the customary hours of prayer observed by the Jews of His day. He withdrew, at times, to solitary places to pray. And on the very night before He went to the cross, He kept vigil in prayer through the night.
What, then, did this same Christ require of those who would follow Him? That they watch and pray, so as not to fall into temptation. He declared that apart from prayer, such works would not be done. For this reason, all who believe in Christ must pray, that they not fall into temptation. If we are to see the power of God at work, if the obstacles before us are to be removed, if our prayers are to be answered — there is no way apart from prayer. Scripture testifies to this truth again and again, teaching and exhorting us at every turn. The great figures of faith throughout Scripture were, without exception, people of prayer. In every trial, they came before God — asking, crying out, entreating — and God heard them, worked on their behalf, answered them, and displayed wonders and signs beyond all expectation.
Prayer Is Offered in the Name of Christ
How, then, are we to pray? In truth, many Christians attend church for years without ever being taught, in any concrete way, how to pray. More often, we learn by listening to the prayers of others, by absorbing what we hear preached, or by discerning what seems fitting as we read Scripture for ourselves. But Scripture does not leave us to guess. It gives us clear instruction — and that instruction is the Lord's Prayer. In Matthew 6, Christ observed how the people of His day gave alms, prayed, and fasted in order to be seen by others. To His disciples He said: do not pray as those who seek to be seen by men. Pray, instead, in this way — and what followed was the Lord's Prayer itself. Prayer, then, is asking according to what Christ Himself has taught us to ask.
We are able to come before God in prayer at all only because Christ bore our sin upon the cross in our place. When we believe in Him and turn from our sin, our sins are forgiven, and the way to the Father stands open before us. For this reason, we must pray in the name of Jesus Christ. In John 16:24, Christ promised, "Until now you have asked nothing in my name. Ask, and you will receive, that your joy may be full." And in John 15:13, He said, "Whatever you ask in my name, this I will do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son."
Pray Without Ceasing
As we walk through this life, we meet with trouble on every side — in our households, in our work, in what lies ahead, in sickness, and in trials too numerous to name. Each of these can leave us anxious and afraid. But in every such moment, we hold something the world does not have: faith in Jesus Christ, and the authority that comes with His name. And so, as Philippians 4:6 exhorts us, we are not to be anxious about anything, but in every circumstance, by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, to let our requests be made known to God.
However difficult, however trying our present circumstances may be, when we trust in God, giving thanks and rejoicing always, and press on in prayer to the end, God will surely keep His word. He will hear our prayers and answer according to His promise. This is His will for us.
“Always be joyful. Never stop praying. Be thankful in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you who belong to Christ Jesus. (1 Thessalonians 5:16-18, NLT)”
About Author
Choi Jong Eui
Pastor, teacher, and writer committed to connecting Christian faith with everyday life. He writes with the hope of praising the Lord and faithfully completing the mission entrusted to him, bearing good fruit to the glory of God.
