Why is prayer important? This question is asked by many individuals everyday. After much prayer and research I have discovered seventeen powerful reasons that answers this question.
Prayer is a way of life in Christianity. Without prayer, the link between man and God will be inaccessible, making it difficult to fulfill the purpose of creation.
More so, a prayer-less Christian cannot enjoy the benefit that comes with life and spirituality. It’s just like a bird without wings flying away from dangers and fighting for survival.
So, prayer is the wings with which we fly away from darkness, sorrows, and temptation and into unspeakable joy, peace, and fulfillment. The earth is not as ordinary as we see it; they are many invisible forces hovering around that seek to destroy us.
God’s word makes this quite clear; Ephesians 6:12 (NIV) – For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the power of this dark world and the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.
After exhausting this article, you will not only understand why is prayer important, but you will also understand why you should pray earnestly and constantly as a Christian. And as a bonus, you’ll get to know what happens if you don’t pray. Firstly, let’s examine how prayer changes things.
Does Prayer Change Things?
Does prayer change things? The answer is yes, it does! Prayers have always produced dumbfounding results since the beginning of time. Remember instances in the Bible when different men and women prayed, and God answered.
Some of such instances and people include:
- Hannah (1 Samuel 1:10-11)
- David (1 Samuel 30:1-4)
- Jabez (1 Chronicles 4:9)
- Zachariah (Luke 1:13-14)
- Paul and Silas (Acts 16:25-27)
The truth is prayer has never failed; the only thing that keeps things and situations static are when we refuse to pray. Or when we refuse to see the things God has done and is doing.
Some time ago, I ran into a close friend I hadn’t seen in a while. When we started talking about our spiritual lives, he sounded bitter and complained about how his prayers always seemed to go unanswered.
Hence, he has stopped praying. Then I asked him to summarize the key points of the prayers he had prayed. From his response, I deduced that he was only praying for his immediate needs: good health, his family, and securing a better job.
When I inquired if he was sick, his response was no; neither was there something wrong with his family. Hence, the fact that he hadn’t landed better employment is the reason he thinks his prayers have not been answered and the reason he stopped praying.
The God who answered the above-mentioned people in the Bible is still working great wonders even today when we pray. The major reason things are not changing is that we are not praying or not persistent in it.
Also read: Prayers for Family in Difficult Times: 15 Helpful.
Why is Prayer Important: 17 Powerful Reasons.
1. Prayer is our means of communication with God:
Prayer is perhaps, the fastest way to communicate with our Heavenly Father. It is in the place of prayer that we become more spiritually sensitive to the point where we can hear God speak to us and understand the meaning of each nudging by the Holy Spirit.
2. Makes us more like Jesus:
If we take a close look at the life of Jesus Christ, we see that He prayed a lot (See Luke 9:28, Matthew 19:13-14, Luke 5:16, Luke 6:12). Evidently, prayer was important to even Jesus for many reasons.
First, prayer was His connection to His Heavenly Father, as well as His lifeline. Secondly, it empowered Him for the things He was to suffer. Next, it was the only means to sustain the intimate relationship He had with God.
Additionally, that was where He got divine guidance and direction from God, His Father. Likewise, if our goal as Christian is to become more like Jesus, then it is expedient that we follow His footsteps and pray as He did. As we pray daily, we will undoubtedly become more like Him.
3. Makes us spiritually strong:
The believer is made spiritually strong when he prays, especially fervently and consistently. Additionally, great men and women who God anoints and uses mightily are made in the place of prayer.
In other words, a believer who hopes to attain great spiritual heights and accomplish extraordinary things for the Lord must pray. Through prayer, God empowers us spiritually and makes us stronger even as we pray the more.
4. Prayer solves problems:
Each time we pray, especially when we cry out to God in desperate times, He is never hesitant to help us. A good example is the case of Hannah (See 1 Samuel 1:10-17). Hannah cried to God for a son. In the end, her faith led to the birth of one of the greatest men in history, even against all What is bothering you?
Do you need divine assistance? Then pray! That is where your help lies. It doesn’t matter the kind of problem or the level of difficulty. Meanwhile, you should note that nothing is impossible for God to take care of. You will be surprised at how only a short prayer but consistent prayer will make a huge difference in your life.
5. Prayer restores peace:
Where there’s conflict, prayer is an important tool in restoring peace. The devil is always alert to the possibilities of causing disunity amongst people, thus, the need to pray and restore sanity. Even when Esau vowed to kill Jacob, he had no choice but to forgive him after Jacob prayed to God for help (See Genesis 33:12-20).
6. Prayer imbues us with divine wisdom:
In this world where we live, challenges spring up every day. However, how we react to these challenges determines if we will How best do you tackle challenges that require wisdom without wisdom? And how do you become wise enough to handle difficulties? Prayer is the key to getting divine wisdom.
7. Prayer helps us overcome temptations (Luke 11:4):
As we know, temptation often leads to However, the place of prayer is where we are empowered by the Holy Spirit to overcome temptations. In other words, a prayerful Christian is less prone to fall prey to the devil’s antics than a believer who doesn’t pray or whose prayer life is not consistent.
8. Prayer transforms us:
It is in the place of prayer that our spirit man becomes The Scripture refers to this as an outpouring from the Holy Spirit. This outpouring transforms us into a better version of ourselves.
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9. Sharpens our understanding of the Scripture:
This happens especially when we pray before or after studying the Bible. When we commune with the Holy Spirit in prayer, we get revelations easily about the interpretations of God’s word.
10. Prayer calms our spirits when we are troubled:
(Psalm 46:10) – Often, the Holy Spirit provides us with His peace that surpasses understanding during difficult times when we call upon Him.
That’s why you would see a Christian who has committed his troubles to God sleeping peacefully at night in a situation that would rob many of their sleep and their peace of mind.
Do you lack peace when you feel troubled? Remember God’s command to us each time your heart is troubled. Philippians 4:6-7 (NIV) – Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your request.
11. Provides us with deliverance from afflictions:
(Psalm 145:18) – Afflictions can be diseases, suffering, emotional trauma, disability, and so on. When we pray to God in faith, we receive deliverance and healing from afflictions.
12. Delivers success to us:
We cannot achieve success by depending solely on the works of our hands. Rather, God helps us achieve success in different endeavors. Although some may say that many accomplish success even without But the lasting success that comes with fulfillment only comes from God. And this we get when we pray fervently.
13. Prayer makes us recipients of God’s mercy:
As humans, sometimes we commit sins unconsciously every day. Through prayers, we have the means to plead for pardon, especially pardon from sin.
Even the Scripture admonishes us to always ask for God’s Hebrews 4:16 (NIV) – Let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.
14. Prayer divinely protects us from evil:
Prayer remains the most effective tool for protection from every form of Mind you; this protection is both spiritually and physically. We face both physical and spiritual threats and enemies daily.
Hence, prayer is effective in shielding us both from the evils of this world and those of the spiritual realm. We defeat the devil with prayer. He does not understand any other language aside from force. And prayer is the most forceful weapon against our adversary. With it, we guarantee our safety.
15. We are able to find and fulfill our purpose in the place of prayer:
Many have no idea about what their life’s mission is. At the same time, others who may have an idea are at a loss on how to go about fulfilling their purpose. These are kingdom secrets that God only makes known to us when we seek Him in prayer.
Throughout the Bible, anywhere you discover men and women that discovered and fulfilled their life’s mission, you will find those who communicated with God frequently. Do you know what God’s plan and purpose for you are? God will only reveal these to you if you are a person of prayer.
16. Prayer breaks yokes and curses:
It takes only an effective prayer to break curses and spiritual Often yokes and curses may be responsible for failures, spiritual hindrances, setbacks, poverty, and so on. Anyone can break the yokes and curses upon them with prayer.
17. The Holy Spirit guides us when we pray:
(James 5:16) – Through prayer, the Holy Spirit provides us with divine guidance for different aspects of life. For instance, sometimes He helps us make sound decisions and judgments when we invite Him in.
Even amid confusion and chaos in our minds, the Holy Spirit provides clarity to help us avoid mistakes. Jeremiah 29:11 (NIV) says – For I know the plans I have for you, says the Lord. They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and hope.
Hence, it’s best to commit our ways, plans, goals, and endeavors to God’s hands in prayer. This is the only way we can avoid unnecessary life mistakes.
What Happens if We Don’t Pray?
Prayer remains an important aspect of our Christian faith. Yet, some of us don’t understand its necessity or how dangerous it is to be a Christian and not pray.
Here are a few examples of what happens when we don’t pray:
- We live in disobedience (See 1 Samuel 12:23)
- We may experience spiritual attacks and afflictions (Isaiah 64:7; Job 36:13)
- Powerlessness leads to a sinful life (Matthew 6:13; 26:41; Luke 22:40)
- We may incur God’s wrath and be in danger of untimely death (Psalm 14:4)
- Our land will crumble or experience unending chaos (Jeremiah 10:25)
- We may not receive God’s blessings (John 16:24)
- Different aspects of our lives may not experience peace (Hosea 7:7)
Conclusion
The importance of prayer is numerous, and the benefits are inexhaustible. More so, we can’t live victoriously as Christians without maintaining active prayer lives.
As such, you should do all you can to incorporate prayer into your daily life. That’s what guarantees your ability to thrive physically, spiritually, financially, and otherwise.
Now that you know why prayer is important, will you draw a prayer plan now to get started?
