PRAYER …. WHY PRAY ?
by Marian Hummel[read Matthew 6:9-15]
Prayer is laying the inner man open to God; my temporal actions lining up with the will of God.
The Lord’s Prayer … the heart of Jesus open to the Father; “If you have seen me, you have seen the Father” … speaking of their unity and relationship.
WHY PRAY? Have you ever been in a situation where you have asked that question? Have you ever been in a place where nothing seems to reach down into the situation so it can be part of the solution? Have you ever thought that you needed to handle this one yourself … so why pray?
Maybe these questions are not phrased nor worded as you would express them. Maybe they are not even questions you would ask. And then, maybe they are your questions word for word.
When we take a closer look at the question itself we see several paths we could pursue to find an answer. The one I am going to follow is one of attitude … my attitude as I question the need to pray.
For me, attitude goes back to my roots, back to the Garden of Eden. When sin entered I was left with the attitude problem one in which I would be “as God.” So, if I run my own life because I am “as God” then why pray to God? At first reading this may seem strong and perhaps harsh. The fact remains that within me is the attitude that I CAN HANDLE THIS ONE MYSELF. With this attitude I cut off going to the Father for help with my needs, Not asking Father can become a lifestyle.
Therefore, I encourage you not to engage in this “alternate lifestyle.” Rather I say take your cue from Jesus Himself as He tells us plainly that, “He never does anything He does not see the Father do and He never says anything that He has not heard the Father say.” Where did He learn that? Remember He said that as a man, a human being like you and I. He, too, had an attitude but His was not a problem. Jesus had learned to go to the Father in all things and at all times thereby enjoying a rich relationship with the Father.
If we remind ourselves that Father gave us as a gift to Jesus in our salvation, then it seems logical to keep going back to this one Who makes wise choices personally expressed to me in my salvation. As I continuously go to Him with things that are important to me, He is able and willing to reveal to me those things which are important to Him.
Why pray? … for me it’s personal. I want my Father to change my attitude - my heart - by revealing His heart as a way of life for me, to bring me wholeness as I walk in the Kingdom of God day by day … so I pray!