Why is prayer important?

The Son of God, Jesus (Yeshua), prayed often to God (YaH) -

We are to conform to the image of The Son of God (Romans 8:29).

"Then Jesus told his disciples a parable to show them that they should always pray and not give up" (Luke 18:1 (NIV)).

"But Jesus often withdrew to lonely places and prayed" (Luke 5:16 (NIV)).

"One of those days Jesus went out to a mountainside to pray, and spent the night praying to God" (Luke 6:12 (NIV)).

Additional scriptures about our Brother praying to our Father are: Luke 22:17-21; Mark 1:35; Hebrews 5:7; Matthew 14:23, 26:36, etc.

Prayer enables us to communicate with God (YaH) -

"if my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and I will forgive their sin and will heal their land" (2 Chronicles 7:14 (NIV)).

"Then you will call on me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart" (Jeremiah 29:12,13 (NIV)).

"This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us" (1 John 5:14 (NIV)).

"When I am in distress, I call to you, because you answer me" (Psalm 86:7 (NIV)).

Prayers help other people -

"And pray for us, too, that God may open a door for our message, so that we may proclaim the mystery of Christ, for which I am in chains" (Colossians 4:3 (NIV)).

"Is anyone among you sick? Let them call the elders of the church to pray over them and anoint them with oil in the name of the Lord. And the prayer offered in faith will make the sick person well; the Lord will raise them up" (James 5:14,15 (NIV)).

"Pray for those who persecute you" (Matthew 5:44 (NIV)).

"After Jesus had gone indoors, his disciples asked him privately, “Why couldn’t we drive it out?” He replied, “This kind can come out only by prayer" (Mark 9:28,29 (NIV)).

"This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us" (1 John 5:14 (NIV)). “You ask and do not receive, because you ask wrongly, to spend it on your passions.” (James 4:3)

Like incense, our prayers release fragrances for God (YaH) -

"And when he had taken it, the four living creatures and the twenty-four elders fell down before the Lamb. Each one had a harp and they were holding golden bowls full of incense, which are the prayers of God’s people" (Revelation 5:8 (NIV)).

"May my prayer be set before you like incense; may the lifting up of my hands be like the evening sacrifice" (Psalm 141:2 (NIV)).

Additional scriptures: Revelation 8:3, Luke 1:10, etc.

Pray to offer thanks to God (YaH) -

"Now when Daniel learned that the decree had been published, he went home to his upstairs room where the windows opened toward Jerusalem. Three times a day he got down on his knees and prayed, giving thanks to his God, just as he had done before" (Daniel 6:10 (NIV)).

"Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God" (Philippians 4:6 (NIV)).

"Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus" (1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 (NIV)).

"Devote yourselves to prayer, being watchful and thankful" (Colossians 4:2 (NIV)).

Pray to offer praise to God (YaH) -

A prayer to God from David (Psalm 86).

Additional scriputures: Psalm 8, 27, 50:15, 100, 141, 145, etc.

Prayer develops our loving relationships with God (YaH) -

Our relationship with God suffers when we fail to communicate with Him.

Prayer is a primary way to unite with God, and experience His presence.

Prayer gives us the opportunity to show and tell God how much we love Him (Matthew 22:37).

Additional scriptures of interest are: Psalm 86:5, James 4:8, Ephesians 3:17-19, Psalm 145:18, 1 John 2:5, etc.

Prayer enables us to discern God's will for our lives -

‘Call to me and I will answer you and tell you great and unsearchable things you do not know’ (Jeremiah 33:3 (NIV)).

"If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you. But when you ask, you must believe and not doubt, because the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind" (James 1:5,6 (NIV)).

Yeshua prayed to our Father all night to descern which twelve disciples to designate as His apostles (Luke 6:12-16). Our Father probably had to convince our Brother to choose Judas and "Doubting Thomas", but they were just as important as the other apostles in God's plan.

Instead of praying to receive personal 'wants', try praying for God's will to be done, and wait to see what He does in your life (Matthew 6:9-13).

Prayer enables us to resist temptation -

"“Watch and pray so that you will not fall into temptation. The spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak”" (Matthew 26:41 (NIV)).

"Be always on the watch, and pray that you may be able to escape all that is about to happen, and that you may be able to stand before the Son of Man (Luke 21:36 (NIV)).

Additional scriptures: Matthew 6:13, Luke 11:4, Luke 22:46, etc.

Prayer is used as a weapon in spiritual warfare -

This type of praying is for the more advanced Prayer Warriors because there can be serious repercussions from entering into spiritual warfare (1 Peter 5:8).

Prior to starting, pray for forgiveness of sins, and forgive those who have sinned against you, then pray to God for help. "After Jesus had gone indoors, his disciples asked him privately, “Why couldn’t we drive it out?” He replied, “This kind can come out only by prayer" (Mark 9:28,29 (NIV)).

"For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand" (Ephesians 6:12,13 (NIV)).

Spiritual warfare banishes evil forces, preserves the good, and leads souls to Salvation.

Pray for forgiveness of sins -

"He said to them, “When you pray, say: “‘Father, hallowed be your name, your kingdom come. Give us each day our daily bread. Forgive us our sins, for we also forgive everyone who sins against us. And lead us not into temptation" (Luke 11:2-4 (NIV)).

"And the prayer offered in faith will make the sick person well; the Lord will raise them up. If they have sinned, they will be forgiven" (James 5:15 (NIV)).

"Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective" (James 5:16 (NIV)).

"And when you stand praying, if you hold anything against anyone, forgive them, so that your Father in heaven may forgive you your sins" (Mark 11:25 (NIV)).

Additional scriptures: Matthew 6:12, Psalm 32:5, etc.

Pray for inner peace -

"Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” (Philippians 4:6-7)

"Is anyone among you in trouble? Let them pray" (James 5:13 (NIV)).

Additional scriptures: Ephesians 3:14-17, Psalm 91:15, Psalm 118:5, Psalm 142, etc.

Commentary

If you struggle with praying, then you need to identify the cause(s) and then implement corrective action.

There could be several causes for your struggling with prayer:

You might not have The Holy Spirit with you (John 9:31);
You might be avoiding the 'perception of failure' in your relationship with God;
Your willpower might have been taken captive by the devil (2 Timothy 2:26)...

To correct the cause(s):

Analyze what is involved in getting 'saved' to determine if there is something you overlooked (forgiveness of others?), which could be preventing The Holy Spirit from empowering you;
Focus a majority of your prayers on things that are within God's will or plan, so that a majority of your prayers will be fulfilled by God, which will reward you with 'successful' prayers;
To regain your willpower from the captivity of the devil, repent for your sins (2 Timothy 2:25), and protect yourself with the Armor of God (Ephesians 6:10-18)...

Do not allow the devil to tempt you away from praying - before, during, and after praying. God could easily arrange for us to pray endlessly, but God wants us to use our free will to choose to talk to Him. Blessed are those who choose to freely and willingly praise God in their prayers! Get blessed!!!

God wants us to pray, therefore, He wants to fulfill our prayers, if they are according to His plan, and His plan is far better than any plan we can create (James 4:3; 1 John 5:14; John 15:7). When God doesn't fulfill particular prayers, we should ask ourselves why those prayers are not part of God's plan. Do we need to change our prayers, change ourselves, wait for God's timing, or what? Pray about why those particular prayers are not part of God's plan. If you are in good health, consider fasting as part of your devotion and determination.

Learn to become more aware of The Holy Spirit. When the thought of praying comes to your mind, don't tell yourself that you've already made plans to pray later on. The Holy Spirit knows what is going on in the spiritual realm, and there could be a very good reason for you to pray immediately.

Learn to enjoy your prayer time with God. Be creative, like an artist, and let yourself get into it. God is my spiritual companion, and I really, really enjoy the closeness of our relationship. God is waiting for you to join Him with all your heart and love!

List of the most important questions with answers and information about YaH (God), Yehoshua (Jesus 'The Christ'), The Holy Spirit and The Holy Bible.

The Holy Bible chapter and verse references of the scriptures and gospels are quotes from: praying is a gift