Why Should We Pray?

“Then Jesus told his disciples a parable to show them that they should always pray and not give up.” 

Luke 18:1 

You’re walking with a friend, who suddenly turns to you and says, “I don’t get it. If things will be as they are going to be anyway, why should I pray?” We’ve all wrestled with such questions. Do my little prayers have anything to do with shaping God’s will? If He’s the driver of everything, does that mean I’m just along for the ride?  

The fact is, we pray because God Himself commands us to pray. God’s Word gives prayer a priority and urgency we simply can’t ignore. When He was among us, Jesus prayed. It was the heartbeat of His life. Whether or not we understand how prayer fits into God’s grand scheme of time and world events isn’t the point. If the One who is all-wise strongly calls us to seek Him in prayer, we can be sure it’s terribly important—for Him and for us.  

Lord, sometimes I pray when worries and concerns weigh so heavy on my heart, and I try my best to leave those things at Your throne. But today I pray just because I love You and want to be close to You. You fill a place in the very center of my life that nothing or no one else can ever fill.