3 Reasons to Pray

I’ve been reflecting a lot lately on this incredible privilege we have … to bring everything to God in prayer.

No matter how big or small, happy or sad, we can pour out our hearts to our Heavenly Father who loves us deeply. He wants to hear our voice. He invites us to pray continually about every aspect of our lives (1 Thessalonians 5:17). Just like me hanging on every word when I hear from our son or grandson, our Heavenly Father wants to hear from us as well.

Here are three areas I’ve been journaling about recently, and I hope they encourage you.

1. God cares about every detail of our lives.

I’m not being nosey, really I’m not. I LOVE to hear every detail about our son living in the US Virgin Islands. From the trip to the beaches to the rain, to the weird animal sounds he’s experienced. I love hearing his voice or reading his text messages. The same goes with our grandson. My heart skips a beat when I hear the special ringtone when I know he’s going to Facetime me and we can visit. My heart skips a beat and I hang onto his every word. 

God is our loving Father, nothing in our life is too insignificant for Him.  God wants us to include Him. He is interested in and cares about it all because He cares for us (1 Peter 5:7).

2. Prayer invites God to work powerfully.

Recent storms caused havoc in our area of Texas. During the onslaught of winds, I walked through the house praying for God’s mercy and protection…I prayed for a hedge of protection around my elderly parents. While we lost power like many in the city, we had minimal damage to structures. Trees that fell or branches that broke were on the outer edges of the property. I truly feel God worked powerfully that morning.

When we pray, we invite the all-powerful, all-wise, all-loving God to go to work. He can open doors no person can give wisdom beyond what any counselor can provide, and move mountains in response to our prayers (Mark 11:22-24). Prayer is one of the most powerful forces on earth because it taps into the power of our Almighty God on our behalf. Nothing is too hard for Him (Jeremiah 32:17)! Hallelujah!

3. Prayer deepens our relationship with God.

Many in the family say the relationship between me and my grandson is strong. I think this is because of the phone calls we’ve shared since he was 5. Before that; we had a bond as well. That bond stemmed because I met him at his level. He says he still tells his friends, “My Meme is a big kid.” Well, you know what, I LOVE he talks about me to his friends! And I love he can make the connection that we are connected.

The same goes with our prayer life.  Just as having conversations with a precious family member or a good friend strengthens your bond, so prayer nurtures our intimacy with God. The more we open up to Him about our lives – our fears, hopes, struggles, joys – the more we experience His presence and develop a closeness with Him. He loves it when we come to Him as we are, holding nothing back, and spend time with Him sharing our hearts (Psalm 62:8).

So let’s embrace the incredible gift of prayer! Let’s bring everything – yes, everything – to God in prayer. He delights in our openness and is ready to work powerfully on our behalf as we connect with Him through prayer.

Walking with you in faith!

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