A new series of teaching on prayer is likely to raise the question "Why pray?". This might seem like a reasonable question. But it is the wrong question!

One would think that numerous verses from the Bible give us the reasons why we should pray. Paul commanded Christians to pray constantly¹. The command to pray however is a weak answer to the question of why we should pray.

God made human beings pre-wired to communicate. When your spouse walks into the room, you will usually exchange some conversation. When your friends come over for dinner you will often talk late into the night. Neighbors meet at the property line to discuss the weather, lawn care, football scores, and the new neighbors. Kids hang out together and talk. When couples are courting they talk and talk and talk. Anywhere there is a relationship there is an abundance of communication and conversation.

When someone's feelings get hurt, they stop talking, they stop communicating. When people have nothing to say to each other, we almost assume that something is wrong. If you are not talking to your spouse, there is likely a relationship problem.

Some parents help their children to mend broken relationships by making them say things like, "Now Billy, you tell Mary that you are sorry for what you did. Come on. Tell her! I'm waiting!!" The parent continues, "Now Mary, you tell Billy you forgive him" and so the conversation goes. Conversation that should be natural becomes forced when the relationship isn't right.

If we can't talk with our mouths, we talk with our hands. If we can't talk with our mouths or hands, we say blink your eyes once if the answer is "yes," and twice if the answer is "no." Communication is the framework of a healthy relationship. It is the same with God.

My healthy relationship with God draws me to communicate with Him. Prayer is communication with God. It is unthinkable for a husband who loves his wife to need 10 reasons to talk to her. He may not communicate as well as he should, but he does not need to be convinced that he should. The Christian's prayers are the natural expression of a relationship with God. The question then is not why should I pray, but what is wrong if I am not praying?

Answer? Something is wrong with the relationship. If I am not praying, I must repent and ask God to restore my relationship with him. Have I offended God? Am I living in defiance of his will? Is my conversation hindered because my walk with God is strained? Do I not want to talk with God because I am ashamed to be with him?

Psalms 32:6 says

Daniel 9:17 says

So, why should we pray? Wrong question. The question is, why are we not praying?

Copyright © 2005 by Kevin Binkley