Prayer can be a big struggle for Christians.
Many obstacles can block our path to greater and more meaningful prayer.
But sometimes we don't feel like praying or we don't know if are praying correctly.
Or maybe it's just too boring.
Pastors and strong Christians encourage us to pray.
But where do we start?
So in today's video, we're going to discuss where to start
when it comes to praying.
And the place to begin is understanding the reasons why we pray.
Reason number one, we pray because God is our savior.
First, John 414 and we have seen and testify
that the father has sent the son as savior of the world.
Remember, prayer is direct communication with God Almighty.
Prayer isn't something we do just to make us feel better.
Prayer is connecting with God through conversation.
And it's a holy conversation
between us as humans and God who dwells in the heavens.
And the first thought
that we need to think when we talk to God is knowing that God saved us.
The book of Romans tells us that we are sinners that are deserving of punishment
and eternal damnation.
But Jesus in his love for us, paid our price and died our death.
So prayer cannot be some obligation that we have to fulfill
because we're trying to be holy.
Prayer must first come from a heart that recognizes that
Jesus saved them and loves them.
True prayer is a response of faith in God.
Consider first Peter, chapter three, verse 12 for
the eyes of the Lord are on the righteous
and his ears are open to their prayers.
But the face of the Lord is against those who do evil.
Note that God doesn't hear everyone's prayers.
He only hears the prayers of the righteous.
And you can only be righteous through faith in Jesus Christ.
So when you pray, remember the reason why you speak to God
is because you know and understand that He saved you.
Reason number two We pray because God is our king.
Revelation 1714 describes Jesus Christ
as being Lord of Lords and King of Kings.
You see, when God saved us, He purchased us.
We were on our way to hell and eternal death.
But he bought us with his blood and made us his first Corinthians 619 220 reads.
Do you not know that your bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit
who is in you whom you have received from God?
You were not your own.
You were bought at a price.
Therefore, honor God with your bodies.
All of this to say if you are a follower of Christ,
Jesus is your king, your ruler, your leader.
And without prayer, we can be led astray.
So remember, another reason
why we pray is so that we can get directions from our king.
Our lives are not our own.
And we pray to him so we can seek his will for our lives.
Reason number three We pray because God is our friend.
John 1513 says Greater love has no one than this
to lay down one's life for one's friends.
And part of First John 316 reads by this we know love
because he Jesus laid down his life for us.
Jesus, during his time here on Earth, was known as a friend of sinners.
He is the one who laid down his life for us.
And the reason we did this is because he loves us
and he has a desire to serve us and to be our friend.
So another reason why we pray is to build our friendship with God.
God wants a friendship with you, and through prayer, we can develop
the same kind of closeness that we can have with our closest friends.
Yeah, Jesus is God, but he's also a person
who knows what it's like to hurt and to struggle.
And like a good friend.
He desires to offer advice and comfort and love when we need it.
Through your conversations with him, you can share your concerns,
your joys, your weaknesses, and your plans.
If Jesus was willing to suffer in to die, to save you,
don't you think he'd want to build a friendship with you, too?
Abraham, through his faith, was called a friend of God.
And it's a friendship that we can take part into.
Reason number four.
We pray because God is our help.
Psalm 121 Verses 1 to 2.
I lift up my eyes to the mountains.
Where does my help come from?
My help comes from the Lord, the maker of heaven and earth, guys.
Life is tough and we can find ourselves in places
of excited, depression, frustration and defeat.
There is a devil out there and he has his demons
and his plans to destroy and to kill.
The world can't be seen as a playground to recklessly run into.
It's to be seen as a battleground where we can be seriously injured and hurt.
One reason why we pray is to obtain strength for the day, wisdom for the day.
Endurance for the day. Love for the day.
So what do you need?
Direction. Patience, knowledge.
God has a desire to meet our needs.
And one way we can access His provision is through prayer.
And that's it.
So remember, don't think of prayer as something you have to do.
Prayer is talking with God, and it is a response of faith
and love to the God who loves us.
And why do we pray?
Because God is our Savior.
God is our king.
God is our friend.
And He is our help.
So we hope this helps.
And we'll see you next time. God bless you.