Why Pray?

Hope Church,

I was reading a book recently and came upon this quote about how God’s power and prayer work together. It said, “There is no power in prayer except for in the prayer of God himself.” (The Fourfold Gospel, A.B. Simpson). This quote really struck me because I have always believed in the power of prayer, but have experienced a great deal of confusion when it comes to why I pray. Sometimes it feels like I am just trying to convince God of what I think He should do. Other times I am asking for His will to be done in my own life and someone else’s. And sometimes, I find myself being silenced and overwhelmed by God’s love or convicted by His Word. The truth is, “Prayer is asking God to do what He already said He is going to do.” (J. Gary Miller)

Tonight we will join together to pray and fast for our community. (Click here for information about opportunities to participate in this week we have dedicated to prayer.) Our corporate prayer is that God would revive our city. We pray that this year our church will see 100 people come to faith in Him… maybe even more! And as we pray, it's important to remind ourselves that the purpose of our prayer is not to change God’s mind, but simply to align ourselves to His will. We know God wants to see our city touched by His love, and we know God wants to see our church lead people to Jesus. When we pray we align ourselves with Him, saying, God would you use me to do your will on this earth and Medina County? I hope God answers these prayers, and shows you how He wants you to be part of the story. He wants to use your gifts and your talents to see this city transformed through the power of Jesus. 

In Scripture we see Jesus teaching us to pray (Matthew 6:9-13) and being an example of what it looks like to live a life filled with prayer (Mark 1:35, Luke 5:16, Matthew 14:23). He teaches us to pray many different prayers…for His will to be done, that He will provide for our needs, that we will not fall into temptation, that we would forgive as we have been forgiven, and so much more. He exemplifies a life of prayer by choosing to make the time to go and pray. Jesus modeled praying for others (John 17) and with others (Matthew 26:36-42). In Matthew 9:37-38, Jesus says, “The harvest is plentiful but the workers are few; therefore pray earnestly to the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest”

So today I encourage you to join us as we fast and pray. As we seek God’s face, align ourselves to His will, and ask for His will to be done in the lives of those around us, we pray for transformation and we anticipate a plentiful harvest! I hope this isn’t just something we do once a year, but that we would be a church which “prays without ceasing” (1 Thessalonians 5:17), continually asking God to do what He has promised for His kingdom to come and His will to be done (Matthew 6:10).

God Bless.

Josiah