THE IMPORTANCE OF PRAYER
As Christians, we are called to pray, and most of us understand the importance of prayer. We cite the same generic prayers before we eat, before a big event, or when faced with a situation that leaves us desperate.
When people confide in us and express their struggles, the response, “I’ll keep you in my prayers,” becomes as common as saying, “I’ll call you later!”. We have good intentions, but we often forget and go about our day. If there is anything that should never become a cliché, it's prayer.
This post is all about the importance of prayer.
The Importance Of Prayer
Prayer is so important. In fact, it is VITAL to our lives and our relationship with Christ.
I want to paint you a pretty picture here…
How Communication With God Started
All the way back in Genesis, this world started with good ole Adam and Eve. They were given everything they needed and had the most direct access to God you could imagine. So what happened? Well, you know, the apple… they were given one command: do not eat the fruit from this tree. What did they do? They disobeyed. Because of this disobedience, sin was brought into the world, and our access to God became limited.
As time passed, we humans created more and more chaos and allowed more and more sin to interfere with the direct connection between ourselves and God. Fast forward to the book of Leviticus, we have gone from frolicking in the garden with direct access to God to going through the high priest to communicate! Sin created distance and separation. Humans created chaos and, in return, lost that direct connection.
To communicate with the Lord, the high priest would have to cleanse himself, make a sacrifice, and go into the Tabernacle, into a specific room to speak to God. If he had ANY uncleanliness, he would die on the spot. Let’s be honest, if we were there during that time... We wouldn’t have even been let into the parking lot… and if we somehow made it into the Tabernacle and the holy room, we would have dropped dead.
What God Wanted
None of this is what God wanted. God wanted an intimate relationship with us. He wanted us to be able to go directly to Him so that he could help us and we could walk alongside Him. Boy, did we humans mess that up.
Despite all that humans did and how far away sin took us, God STILL didn’t give up on us. He STILL wanted to give us that direct line to Him. So, what did He do? He made a way.
God sent His son Jesus, the earthly embodiment of God Himself, to live a sinless life and take our place on that cross. He took the pain, humiliation, and suffering that we should have endured, and he bore it for us. Let’s face it: most of us wouldn’t even give up a front-row parking spot for another person.
When Jesus died on that cross, He put sin to death. He defeated sin itself. Three days later, He rose again. Jesus not only put sin to death but defeated death itself. When that happened, the veil was torn, and Jesus became the WAY.
John 14:6 “Jesus answered, “I am the way, truth, and life. No one comes to the Father except through me.”
We Get The Gift Of Prayer
When we believe in Jesus and who He is, believe in what He did, confess our sin and brokenness, and declare a relationship and a life following Him, we are INSTANTLY given a direct line to God. That immediate access that was lost all the way back in the Garden of Eden is now given specifically to YOU. At any minute of any day, you can communicate with the Savior, the Creator, the King of Kings, God Himself. WHAT A GIFT!
Prayer is how we, as Christians, communicate with God. Think of it like this….
Gift Of Prayer
Once we accept Christ and accept the gift of salvation, we become new in Jesus. When this happens, we are gifted the newest iPhone on the market, the iPhone representing prayer, our line of communication with God. If we want to talk to Him, ask for help, seek guidance, etc, we take our phone out, call, and talk to Him.
When we were first given this fancy iPhone, we were excited and fully understood the importance of prayer. We used it all the time, showed everyone, and it became the most remarkable thing in our life. But as time went on, we began keeping it in our purse or our back pocket.
We don’t call as often and rarely check in to see if there are even any voicemails left for us. Only do we find ourselves only pulling it out and making a call when we really need something. When we are in the middle of the storm and need to call for help. Once we finish the call, back in the purse, it goes.
- Does this illustration sound familiar?
- If you were to be honest with yourself, does your phone spend more time in your purse than it does being used?
- What has to happen for you to make the call?
Why Is Prayer So Important?
It is crucial for our well-being and our relationship with Christ that we take full advantage of the gift we have been given: prayer! We should be praying consistently. Praying and praising through the good, the bad, and the ugly. We need to be seeking God and fixating our eyes on Him and Him alone. Asking for God to help us, lead us, transform us, and keep us focused on Him is how we do that. When our prayer life is weak, we become weak. When our prayer life is strong, we are strong.
Like any relationship, it requires invested time and open communication. You can’t get to know someone if you don’t talk to them. It's the same with our relationship with God. He wants you to communicate with Him. He wants to be the first person you go to when troubles arise and the first person you tell when great things happen.
God Wants To Communicate With You
God is your Father and wants to be there for you, walk through life with you, and know all that is happening with you! You are precious to Him, and he loves you so much. Prayer is how we keep that beautiful connection with Him. It's our direct line to the peace, joy, strength, wisdom, and guidance that only HE can offer.
Friend, hit your knees and pour out your heart to the Lord. Tell Him about what's troubling you, your desires, needs, and dreams. When you're worried, tell Him and ask for peace. When you're scared or upset, tell Him and ask for comfort. Do you feel lost, directionless, and confused? Ask Him for wisdom and guidance. If you are happy and grateful, tell Him and give Him praise! Treat Him like that best friend you run to for everything; take out your “iPhone” and call on Him alone!
If you need help praying, check out our articles on prayer!
Written by: Allie Buchanan