Prayer is reflected in our lives.

Good morning, happy Saturday, and blessings.

In John 16 (23b-28) Jesus said to his disciples: "Amen, amen, I say to you, whatever you ask the Father in my name he will give you. Until now you have not asked anything in my name; ask and you will receive, so that your joy may be complete. In this biblical narrative, Jesus establishes the need and importance of prayer.

Why do we pray? Out of habit and duty? Do we pray so we can get stuff from God? Now, I believe there is nothing wrong with asking God to bless us. However, this is just one small but important reason why we should pray. There are a few more significant reasons. You might be surprised.

Prayer is the key to the heart of God. Prayer is the only way to a real and personal relationship with God. Prayer is based on God’s love for us. Through his grace, he gives us things which they do not deserve, while through his mercy he shields us from those things which we do deserve. Therefore, prayer is primarily a relationship with our/a God (Romans 8:15; Galatians 4:6). Prayer is deliberate and intentional communication that nurtures this relationship with the God as our mother and father. It is our way of connecting daily with the living God and hearing him tell us who she is and who we are. To neglect this privilege is to ignore God himself and miss out on a promised joy to every follower of Jesus. To lean into this relationship is just one way we let God how much we love him. When we love someone, we will make time for them. So, what are some reasons why we should pray?

So, an invitation from and relationship with God is foundational to understanding why we should pray. But there are a few more reasons why followers of Jesus should pray. There is nothing we can’t pray about. There are abundant references to prayer in the Bible. The Bible tells us to “pray without ceasing” and “in everything give thanks to the Lord.” When we choose to have a positive attitude, we realize we have received many blessings for which to give God praise. 

We find intimacy with God through communicating with Him in prayer. We go to Him in faith, knowing that He hears and answers all our prayers (1 John 5:14). Be confident that God knows and wants what is best for us; so, ask that Her will be done in all we seek from Her. Then, thank Him for it, even though it hasn’t happened yet.

In one sense, prayer is like sharing the gospel with people. We do not know who will respond to the message of the gospel until we share it. In the same way, we will never see the results of answered prayer unless we pray.

A lack of prayer demonstrates a lack of faith and a lack of trust in God’s Word. We pray to demonstrate our faith in God, that He will do as He has promised in His Word and bless our lives abundantly more than we could ask or hope for (Ephesians 3:20). Prayer is our primary means of seeing God work in others' lives.

Today I would like to invite you to take a spiritual inventory where you discover the quality and quantity of your prayer relationship with God.

Blessings

Fr. Luis+