Bible Verses About Why We Pray
Introduction
Why do we pray? The question is the honest question of the person who has wrestled with the specific tension of the prayer: if God already knows what we need before we ask (Matthew 6:8), why ask? If God's will is going to be accomplished regardless, why pray for it? The theology of the prayer must account for these honest questions rather than simply asserting the duty of the practice.
The answer that the Scripture provides is not primarily the answer of the technique or the obligation but the answer of the relationship. We pray because the prayer is the specific practice of the relationship with the God who is near and who cares and who has specifically invited the asking. The James 4:2's you do not have because you do not ask establishes the specific theological statement: God has ordered the relationship with his people in such a way that the asking is the specific means by which the receiving happens. The prayer is not the informing of the God who does not know but the specific participation in the relationship with the God who has chosen to make the asking the means of the giving.
The specific ground of the why of the prayer is the specific character of the God who is addressed in the prayer: the Matthew 6:9's our Father in heaven is the specific address that establishes the entire framework of the prayer. The prayer is addressed to the Father: the specific relational word that establishes the intimacy and the access that the prayer assumes. The Father who knows what we need before we ask (Matthew 6:8) is the Father who has invited us to ask anyway, because the asking is the specific expression of the dependence and the trust that is the character of the relationship between the child and the Father.
These verses speak to anyone who needs the specific theological grounding for the why of the prayer, anyone whose prayer life has become the performance of the obligation rather than the expression of the relationship, and anyone who needs to receive the specific invitation of the God who asks to be asked.
What the Bible Means When It Talks About Why We Pray
The Hebrew word qara describes the calling on the name of the LORD: the specific act of the turning toward the God who hears. The Psalm 145:18's the LORD is near to all who call on him establishes the specific promise attached to the calling. The Greek word aiteo describes the asking: the specific act of the child who asks the Father. The distinction between the aiteo and the erotao in John 16:23-24 establishes the specific access that the prayer assumes: the asking in the name of Jesus is the specific means by which the Father gives. The Greek word entugchano describes the interceding: the specific meeting with or the appealing to of the one who has the power to act.
Bible Verses About the Invitation to Ask
Matthew 7:7-8 — ("Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives; the one who seeks finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened.")
The ask and it will be given establishes the specific invitation: the God of the prayer has specifically invited the asking and has specifically promised the giving. The for everyone who asks receives establishes the comprehensive scope: the invitation is for everyone rather than only the sufficiently holy person. The why of the prayer is the specific invitation of the God who has said ask and it will be given: the asking is the specific practice that participates in the divine generosity that has been specifically invited.
John 16:24 — ("Until now you have not asked for anything in my name. Ask and you will receive, and your joy will be complete.")
The ask and you will receive and your joy will be complete establishes the specific connection between the asking and the joy: the prayer is not only the technique of the receiving but the specific practice of the relationship with the God whose giving is the specific source of the complete joy. The in my name establishes the specific access: the asking in the name of Jesus is the specific means of the access to the Father who gives the complete joy. The why of the prayer includes the why of the joy: the prayer is the specific practice that leads to the complete joy.
James 4:2 — ("You desire but do not have, so you kill and covet and quarrel and fight. You do not have because you do not ask God.")
The you do not have because you do not ask God is the specific statement of the why of the prayer: the not having is the specific consequence of the not asking. The God who gives when the asking happens is the God who has ordered the relationship in such a way that the asking is the specific means of the receiving. The why of the prayer is the specific answer to the why of the not having: the prayer is the specific practice that participates in the provision of the God who gives when asked.
Bible Verses About Prayer as Relationship with the Father
Matthew 6:9 — ("This, then, is how you should pray: 'Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name.'")
The our Father in heaven is the specific address that establishes the entire framework of the prayer: the Father is the relational word that establishes the intimacy and the access that the prayer assumes. The why of the prayer is the why of the relationship: we pray because we are the children of the Father who has invited us into the relationship in which the asking and the receiving are the specific expressions of the trust and the dependence. The hallowed be your name establishes the specific orientation: the prayer begins with the honoring of the Father rather than the stating of the person's needs.
Romans 8:15-16 — ("The Spirit you received does not make you a slave, so that you live in fear again; rather, the Spirit you received brought about your adoption to sonship. And by him we cry, 'Abba, Father.' The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are God's children.")
The by him we cry Abba Father is the specific statement of the prayer that the Spirit enables: the Abba is the intimate address of the child to the father, and the Spirit enables the specific crying of the Abba that establishes the relational character of the prayer. The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are God's children establishes the ground: the prayer is the specific expression of the identity as the child of the Father who has adopted the person into the family relationship. The why of the prayer is the why of the identity: we pray because we are the children of the Father who has adopted us.
Bible Verses About Prayer and God's Purposes
Matthew 6:10 — ("Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.")
The your kingdom come your will be done on earth as it is in heaven is the specific statement of the alignment of the prayer with the purposes of God: the prayer is not only the asking for the personal needs but the specific participation in the coming of the kingdom and the doing of the will of God on earth. The why of the prayer includes the why of the kingdom: we pray because the coming of the kingdom is something that God accomplishes through the specific participation of the people who are praying for it. The on earth as it is in heaven establishes the specific scope: the prayer is for the specific transformation of the earth in the direction of the heaven.
1 Timothy 2:1-4 — ("I urge, then, first of all, that petitions, prayers, intercession and thanksgiving be made for all people — for kings and all those in authority, that we may live peaceful and quiet lives in all godliness and holiness. This is good, and pleases God our Savior, who wants all people to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth.")
The prayers and intercession for all people for kings and all those in authority establishes the comprehensive scope of the prayer: the prayer is the specific participation in the purposes of the God who wants all people to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth. The this is good and pleases God establishes the specific motivation: the prayer pleases the God who is the specific object and the source of the prayer. The why of the intercessory prayer is the why of the purposes of God: we pray for all people because God wants all people to be saved.
Bible Verses About Prayer and the Access of the Cross
Hebrews 4:14-16 — ("Therefore, since we have a great high priest who has ascended into heaven, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold firmly to the faith we profess. For we do not have a high priest who is unable to empathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are — yet he did not sin. Let us then approach God's throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.")
The let us approach God's throne of grace with confidence so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need establishes the specific access of the prayer: the throne of grace is the specific place of the approach, and the confidence is the specific character of the approach. The why of the prayer is the why of the access: we pray because the great high priest has opened the specific access to the throne of grace. The we have one who has been tempted in every way establishes the ground of the empathy: the prayer is addressed to the one who knows the specific condition of the person who is praying from the inside.
Ephesians 3:12 — ("In him and through faith in him we may approach God with freedom and confidence.")
The in him and through faith we may approach God with freedom and confidence is the specific statement of the access that the prayer assumes: the freedom and the confidence are the specific qualities of the approach that the in him establishes. The why of the prayer is the why of the freedom and the confidence: we pray because the Christ has opened the specific access to the Father that the prayer requires. The prayer that is offered without the freedom and the confidence is the prayer that has not yet received the specific access that the in him provides.
Bible Verses About Prayer and Transformation
James 5:16 — ("Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective.")
The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective is the specific statement of the effectiveness of the prayer: the prayer is not the pious exercise that has no specific effect but the powerful and effective practice of the person whose prayer is aligned with the God who acts in response to the prayer. The pray for each other so that you may be healed establishes the specific connection between the prayer and the healing: the why of the prayer includes the why of the healing. We pray for each other because the prayer is the specific means by which the healing happens.
Philippians 4:6-7 — ("Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.")
The present your requests to God and the peace of God will guard your hearts and your minds establishes the specific connection between the prayer and the peace of mind: the why of the prayer includes the why of the peace. We pray because the presenting of the requests to God is the specific practice that releases the anxiety and produces the peace that guards the heart and the mind. The prayer is not only the asking for the external provision but the specific practice that transforms the inner life of the person who is praying.
A Simple Way to Pray These Verses
The why of the prayer is most honestly prayed from the honest receiving of the specific invitation to ask and the specific access that the in him provides.
Matthew 7:7 — ("Ask and it will be given to you.") Response: "You have invited the asking. I am asking. Not because I am informing you of something you do not know or demanding what I deserve but because you have said ask and it will be given. I am the child who is asking the Father who has invited the asking. Receive my asking."
John 16:24 — ("Ask and you will receive, and your joy will be complete.") Response: "The complete joy. Let the asking and the receiving be the specific path to the joy that is complete rather than the anxious management of the provision I am trying to secure without the asking. I am asking. Let the joy be the fruit of the asking and the receiving."
Romans 8:15 — ("By him we cry, 'Abba, Father.'") Response: "Abba. Father. The Spirit has brought about the adoption and has given me the cry. I am crying the Abba that the Spirit enables. Let the intimacy of the Abba be the specific ground from which every prayer rises. I am the child. You are the Father. Let me pray from that identity."
Frequently Asked Questions
Why do we pray if God already knows what we need? The Matthew 6:8's your Father knows what you need before you ask establishes the honest acknowledgment: God does know. The Matthew 7:7-8's ask and it will be given and for everyone who asks receives establishes the specific answer: God has ordered the relationship with his people in such a way that the asking is the specific means by which the receiving happens. The prayer is not the informing of the God who does not know but the specific participation in the relationship with the Father who has invited the asking because the asking is the expression of the dependence and the trust that is the character of the relationship between the child and the Father.
Does prayer change God's mind? The specific theological answer is that the prayer is not the changing of the mind of the God who is sovereign over all things but the specific participation in the purposes of the God who has chosen to accomplish his will through the prayers of his people. The Matthew 6:10's your kingdom come your will be done establishes the alignment of the prayer with the purposes of God rather than the changing of the purposes of God. The James 5:17-18's Elijah who prayed and the rain stopped and prayed again and the rain returned establishes the specific connection between the prayer and the specific acts of God: the God who responds to the prayer is the God who has chosen to work through the specific practice of the prayer.
Why does the Bible say to pray continually? The 1 Thessalonians 5:17's pray continually establishes the comprehensive character of the prayer as the ongoing orientation of the whole life toward God: the continual prayer is the specific expression of the dependence on the God who is near rather than the specific technique employed when the need is urgent. The Luke 18:1's they should always pray and not give up establishes the persistence: the continual prayer is the ongoing bringing of the requests to the God who brings about the justice and the provision at the proper time. The why of the continual prayer is the why of the relationship: the ongoing prayer is the ongoing expression of the dependence and the trust of the child who is in relationship with the Father.
What is the purpose of intercessory prayer? The specific purpose of the intercessory prayer is the participation in the purposes of the God who wants all people to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth (1 Timothy 2:4). The 1 Timothy 2:1-4's prayers and intercession for all people establishes the comprehensive scope. The Romans 8:26-27's the Spirit intercedes for us through wordless groans establishes the divine dimension: the human intercession is the participation in the intercession of the Spirit who intercedes according to the will of God. And the Hebrews 7:25's Christ who always lives to intercede for the people who come to God through him establishes the ultimate ground: the human intercessory prayer is the participation in the ongoing intercessory work of the Christ who lives to intercede.
Why does the Bible say prayer is powerful? The James 5:16's the prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective establishes the specific statement. The effectiveness of the prayer is the effectiveness of the God who acts in response to the prayer of the person who is aligned with the purposes of God. The John 15:7's if you remain in me and my words remain in you ask whatever you wish and it will be done establishes the specific condition: the powerful prayer is the prayer of the person who is abiding in Christ and whose asking is being shaped by the remaining of the words. The prayer is powerful not because of the technique of the person who is praying but because of the character of the God who responds to the prayer of the person who is in relationship with him.
