Is Prayer Redundant?

I used to dread praying. I know that sounds ridiculous for a priest – an ordained person in the Church of God - or for anyone calling Jesus Christ their Lord and Savior. I thought prayer was rather redundant. If God knows our needs before we ask (Matthew 6:8), then why bother the Master any longer?  I mean, if He is omnipotent (from Merriam Webster: having unlimited authority or influence), omniscient (possessed of universal or complete knowledge) and omnipresent (present in all places at all times), all at the same time, it would be obvious that our prayers, our requests, intercessions and supplications, would not come to Him as any surprise. I must admit that I had a hard time to see the benefits of prayer until I actively participated in it. It is amazing what results can do to inspire you further.

 My first insight into prayer came when I realized that prayer was a vital part of Jesus’ life. If it was good for Him, and He is the Son of God, how much more could I profit from trying it? Jesus prayed in the morning (Mark 1:35), He prayer during the day (Matthew 14:23) and He prayed all night (Luke 6:12). He would often spend time in prayer after a long day of ministry (Matthew 14:23) and He prayed for strength before He entered into His passion. (Luke 22:44) Because Jesus modeled a life of prayer, His disciples thought it was important to learn how to pray. (Luke 11:2)

What is more, our prayers can help to others. (2 Corinthians 1:11) Paul continually asked for the prayers of the saints for his ministry. (Romans 15:30) Why would he ask if he thought prayer was useless? Scripture also teaches that not praying for someone else is a sin. (1 Samuel 12:23) It would seem that prayer is an integral component to a solid Christian life. That seems obvious but there are still very few Christians for who prayer is not more than a short grace at the evening meal (never in public but only in the privacy of your own home!).

I had to learn about prayer and engage in it to appreciate it. It is true that the more you pray, the more you get from it. I got to the point of asking God every morning to blow my mind that day. He was answering prayer and things were happening. I became like a child being thrown up in the air by an adult. I must brag here because I have done this with many kids. Being of above average height – read not being vertically challenged and never having been lost in a crowd, although I do run into cobwebs nobody else hits – I am able to get kids closer to the ceiling and the ceiling fan far better than most adults. Because of my majestic height, my grandmother and mother until their deaths, and now my wife keep me around to reach the top shelf without a stool or tiptoes. When I hoist kids in the air the first thing I check for is nose bleeds as those kids have never been to those heights before! They get an excited look on their face as they are able to look down on things. They gain a different perspective, a higher perspective. And when you fling them – okay well just lift high and drop – they get very excited about the exhilarating feeling of being free, of almost flying. They also learn to trust as you catch them right before they crash onto the floor. Wee, let’s do it again! One drawback to aging is not being able to do this as often and with as large a child as I once was. But, I digress.  When prayer becomes enjoyable, when God shows up, you will want to say, “Wee, let’s do it again!”

When you catch a child and build that trust, they start trusting you for more. They depend on you. When Paul admonished the Thessalonians (1 Thessalonians 5:17) to “pray continually” (NIV) or “pray without ceasing” (KJV), he was asking something that many people think is an extreme burden. With everything we have to do each day, with all of my duties and responsibilities, all my cares and anxieties, how can we spend that much time in prayer? As a pastor, I have heard all the excuses. The sum of these conclusions is that anything more than one hour on Sunday morning is a demand no one can satisfy. Besides, weren’t prayers offered in church last week? That should be good enough. Living a life of dependence and thanksgiving on God asks the opposite question: “How can I not pray continually to God for all He does and all he provides?”

I remember when I was dating my wife. We would spend hours together talking and getting to know each other. It didn’t hurt that we met at church. We avoided some of the relationship building hassles because we knew what was most important in each of our lives. The more time we spent together, the more time we wanted to spend together. Now, we are spending the rest of our lives together. Our relationship had to build though. We had to work on it and we continue to do so. Any relationship needs to be worked on, worked at to grow. Anything that is not growing is only doing one thing: dying! There is no other option. Spending time in prayer brings us closer to Jesus Christ. It helps give our relationship with Him the solid foundation that will make it thrive. Being a novice in prayer makes one a novice Christian. If you do not work on your relationship with Jesus Christ through prayer, then your relationship is dying and Jesus will not recognize you. We know the results when that happens (Matthew 25:12).

 But more than that, we have the blessed assurance that because of whom Jesus is and what He did, we are praying directly to Him. We do not need to go through any intermediaries or even His mother. We can approach the throne of grace directly. (Hebrews 4:16) There is a confidence in prayers like that.

I have come to appreciate time spent in prayer, time spent in communication with my Lord and Savior. I now know that prayer is not to inform God. It is strengthen and encourage me. I need to pray. I need to spend time with God. I need to thank Him for all He has done in my life and in the lives of those around me. Based on His actions in the past, I can confidently ask for His intervention in the my life and those around me. Now, I look forward to prayer. I know God is listening. I know He wants to spend time with me and me with Him. Lord, blow my mind again. Ask Him! It’s not redundant. Try it; you’ll like it and so will God!