Why Pray? Here are Seven Reasons

I recently delivered a talk for our Household Servants Training and it was about PRAYER. This isn’t a recap, instead I’m writing this as a reflection…

In this blog post, I’d like to run down 7 reasons why we must pray.

1. Build Relationship with Jesus

In secular world, relationship are built on spending time with our loved ones. In this way, we learn more about them. We know their good and bad side. We learn their flaws and yet we still continue to like and love them.

The same goes with building relationship with God. Through prayer, we allocate a time to talk to Him. Most of the time people would think that it’s a one way conversation. Little did they know that they also need to spend a time for silent prayers. Stay still and let God talk to you making it a two-way communication. A very important tool in building relationship especially with Him.

2. Prayer Accomplishes God’s Work

God’s work includes us. His bigger and master plan include the very core of who we are. We are His sons and daughter, therefore praying and making ourselves available to pray and spend this time with Him means we are accomplishing His work by simply setting aside our prayer time to reflect and to think of other people through praying for them.

When we pray, and as He answers them (in His perfect time) – our act accomplishes His Work.

3. Helps Overcome Temptation

Have you ever caught yourself being tempted to do something – that isn’t of God? And confronted with the fact that you are about to sin? It is during these times that you must fall and bring your knees to the ground. Pray! Pray that you will be protected. Praying and a prayerful heart and mind derails you from sinning. When we busy our thoughts with prayer – although the evil will try harder – it is our will power and commitment to pray that will help us defend our faith. But all of these will not come to pass without us – asking God his mercy and grace to overcome temptation.

Pray, pray that He may protect us from the snares of evil.

4. Determine God’s Will or Discernment

To discern what our next steps and decisions will be, require God’s blessings. When we pray – it creates this unseen bond between us and God. Although at times we fail to utter what’s in our mind, the Lord knows what’s in our heart. Therefore eventually a thought comes into our head guiding us.

Have you ever experienced that moment when you just simply stay in the church (even without a mass) – praying, asking His guidance, with mind so chaotic you don’t know what to do… but after spending time with Him – you come out with a better perspective. With a decision in mind? That my friend is the Holy Spirit. :)

5. Prayer is a Spiritual Warfare Weapon

Just like beating temptation, PRAYER itself is our tool against spiritual battles. Ephesians 6 talks about wearing the full armor of God. Prayer is one of them. Today, the world faces darker situations than ever. Without prayer our days will be filled with weakness, doubts and other ungodly thoughts. Keeping ourselves connected to the source through our prayer time is a step to protect us from the spiritual struggles we face.

Of course praying alone won’t be enough, it is the very reason we also believed in intercession. Where others pray of us and thus we do the same to them so that they too will be protected.

6. Spiritual Awakening Pre-requisite

A pre-requisite means a requirement before doing something or proceeding to the next step. To take the time and decide to set a side a moment to pray helps us to awaken our spirituality. Who we are at the moment is filled with earthly influences and not being able to connect ourselves to God with whatever reasons; busy lifestyle, waste time though social media, excuses of every sort – – – these weakens our spirit.

As a community member we learned that everyday we can spend time to pray to God, at the same time we also have our weekly spiritual refill through the Eucharist (mass) and then followed by another refill though our households, assemblies and teachings.

In order to awaken our spirits, we must do our part first by ensuring that we protect as well our prayer time.

7. Valuable to Go

To survive life’s challenges, PRAYER is a valuable TO GO! Something that is at hand, something that is accessible. VALUABLE because this is our lifeline to God.

Above are just seven of the many reasons why we must pray…

PRAY so that you make your time worthwhile. Pray so that you use this very special gift from above. Pray to awaken your soul, to determine God’s will, to fight temptations and use to fight spiritual wars. Pray to accomplish His work. PRAY so that your personal relationship with Jesus strengthen!

Father, may you protect my mind and heart to have the courage to set-aside the time for you alone through prayers. Amen.

May God bless us always.