THE THREE PURPOSES OF PRAYER

11. July 2008 by admin.

Scripture speaks of three broad rules that prayer should play in our lives. The first is its effect on our attitude-its redemptive influence upon our hear and will. Through prayer, we grow more Christ like; we become more inclined to do God’s will and we fell more encouraged as well. Our attitude is affected most positively by certain types of praying, including confession, praise and thanksgiving, meditation and praying for openness to God’s will–as Jesus did in Gethsemane.

The second role of prayer is its effect upon our understanding. By praying for God’s direction, and through silent, prayerful meditation, we allow God to influence our thinking, and we vastly improve our grasp of his guidance. We’re better able to determine which dreams and goals reflect his best intentions for our life.

These first two roles have to do with prayer’s effect upon us. Yet just as frequency, Scripture reminds us of the influence prayer has, not only upon us, but upon God. The Bible never implies that we can manipulate God through prayer. But it does emphasize that God purposely chooses to limit much of what he does in our life to what we choose to pray for. He graciously extends to us the possibility of influencing him through our petitions. This third role of prayer is as critical to healthy spirituality, our faith walk, and to living effectively for Christ, as the first two are.

This third role cannot function effectively without the first two. Our single greatest need as Christians is to stay in a relationship of trust with Christ where he can encourage and guide us. The first role of prayer most clearly nurtures this relationship. The benefits of a renewed heart, that come through this praying, extend to all areas of our life–inspiring health and vitality, the ability to enjoy our present circumstances, and clearer thinking about our decisions. Through praying specifically for God’s guidance (prayer’s second role), we further sharpen our understanding of his will, and our sense of intimacy with Christ benefits greatly as well.

The benefits of prayer’s third role, though–both in strengthening our relationship with Christ and enabling us to live effectively for him–shouldn’t be minimized. Through making
requests of God, we grow by taking responsibility for our needs. We also gain a treasured sense of partnership with Christ in what he is doing. In his extensive study of prayer in Scripture, John Calvin concluded, “We see that to us nothing is promised to be expected from the Lord, which we are not also bidden to ask of him in prayers.”*

Scripture consistently shows, too, that the possibility of having influence through prayer is much greater than we normally think.

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