Why Pray?

The other day, I was praying with Sam about a friend of his. "I'm not sure how to pray about this," he said. "I just know he needs prayer. I don't know the details."

"Just mention your friend by name," I said. "God knows his needs." (Matt 6:32)

After I quoted that verse, I paused. "If God already knows our needs," I wondered, "then why do we pray?" The Bible tells us in many places to pray, and to pray without ceasing. Why? God is all knowing. It's not like he needs vital information from us. We can't tell Him anything in prayer that He doesn't already know. So why are we directed to tell Him all of our needs?

If God had created us to be knights and pawns on a chess board, prayer wouldn't be necessary. He would move us around as He saw fit. But that's not why God created us. He formed us in His image, so that we could have a relationship with Him. Sin severed that bond, but through the blood of Christ it is restored.

"For since our friendship with God was restored by the death of his Son while we were still his enemies, we will certainly be saved through the life of his Son. So now we can rejoice in our wonderful new relationship with God because our Lord Jesus Christ has made us friends of God." (Romans 5:10,11)

We are friends, not chess pieces. Friends have conversations. Prayer is a conversation between God and us. We are encouraged to pray so that God can communicate with us. He doesn't need us to talk to Him; He wants us to talk with Him. The next time you are praying, remember that you aren't just rattling off a list a needs. You are conversing with the Maker of the heavens and the earth.

Earthly Praise

Recently, I stole lunch meat from Wal-Mart. I didn't mean to; it was an accident. The next day, I went back to the store in order to pay for the pilfered ham and turkey. I grabbed a couple of packages from the shelf and took them to the customer service desk where I explained the situation to the clerk. She rang it up, I paid, and left.

As I walked to my car, I felt a little dejected. It was weird. There wasn't any reason to feel that way, but I did. As I thought about it, I realized that I was bothered because the clerk in the store hadn't thanked me. I had gone into Wal-Mart feeling pretty good about my honesty, and I wanted acknowledgement for my forthrightness. "How many people would bother to pay for two lousy packages of Oscar Meyer? Not many," I thought. "Why didn't she say something? I made a special trip to repay them. I'm not expecting a customer-of-the-month award, but a pat on the back would be nice."

That's about the time I felt a nudge from the Holy Spirit. "Is that why you do what's right?" He seemed to say.

Of course, I was convicted. I wanted earthly praise for a heavenly act. It's in my nature to want praise; I'm a words of affirmation kind of girl. I hoard compliments like misers hoard gold. But who's praise should I really be seeking? When I seek earthly praise, it is no different than seeking earthly riches; neither one has any eternal impact (Matt 6:19-21).

That clerk could have thought I'd done a good thing. She could have thanked me, but how does her praise matter? There is only one who will judge me according to my deeds (I Pet 1:17). Ultimately, the only praise I need to hear is "Well done, my good and faithful servant." (Matt 25:21)

Where will you find your praise--on earth or in Heaven?