The Importance Of Prayer

Today's question reads, "Why should I talk to God if He doesn't talk back?" Now this is a good question. but really what the student is asking is, "Why should I pray? How does God talk back?"

In the Christian faith, prayer is very important. It is how we communicate with God. Although God knows everything, it's better to actually tell Him. Speaking secrets, confessing sin, and asking for help can feel like a weight is lifted. In fact 1 Peter 5:7 says, "Cast all your anxiety upon Him, for He cares for you." It can be very freeing to speak. God does know everything, but He wants to hear it from us anyway. Something my high school pastor said that I always found interesting and true was this, "If God knows everything, then I can tell Him anything." We can tell God anything: praise, problems, sin & temptation and even doubt. See, communication is one of the big things that goes into any relationship. If God wants a relationship with us, which He very much does, then we need to communicate.

Now some of you may be asking, does prayer "work"? Does God really answer back? Time & time again, we see God answer the prayers of the Israelites. In fact, there were some times when God was already answering prayer even just after they had spoken it. Prayer does "work". By work I mean that God answers them, meaning that God hears our prayers and responds. 1 John 5:14-15 says, "This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us. And if we know that He hears us- whatever we ask- we know that we have what we asked of Him." The apostle Paul himself writes about a time when he asked God to get rid of an affliction, and God said no. There will be times when God will say no. Sometimes He will answer it the way you want, but other times, He may not. He may give you a 'yes'. But He may also give you a 'no' or a 'maybe'. But He will always answer it the way He wants, which will always be for His good and His glory.

Now that has to do with God answering prayer, but does He ever just talk to you? Well, I think He does. But you need to be quiet before Him, you need to listen for His voice. Without getting mystical, I want to tell you about a time, I believe God spoke to me during my prayer times. Back in college I would journal out prayers. I would write out my prayers to God. What I discovered is that He would actually talk back. Not with a physical or loud voice. But it would be a quiet whisper in my heart, a response in the back of my mind. I began writing down what I feel God was saying, and it was actually a response to what I was talking to Him about. He would encourage me, and get me to think. The whisper never contradicted the Bible, nor did He contradict what I knew about Him. The God of the Universe was speaking into my heart, to me. God does respond to our prayers.

He converses with us in our minds and in our hearts. He loves us and talks to us personally. He will answer our prayers. So don't give up prayer. Don't stop praying. We are told to "pray continually." Be confident that God hears us and will respond.