The Father's Menu

The Father's Menu

Apostle Dr. Richard Udoh

Wednesday, March 8, 2023

THE PURPOSE OF PRAYER

Prayer is an important part of the Christian life. It is the way we communicate with the Lord and praise Him. To understand the purpose of prayer, it is important to first understand what prayer is not. There are many wrong views in the world and culture about prayer, even among Christians, and these should be addressed first. Prayer is not bargaining with God, making demands of God, only asking God for things. A therapeutic, meditation-type exercise. bothering God and taking up His time, neither is prayer a way to show the world how spiritual you are.

The best way to learn about the purpose of prayer is studying the example of Jesus during His earthly ministry. Jesus prayed for Himself and for others, and He prayed to commune with the Father. John 17 is a great place to see Jesus’ use of prayer. He not only prays that the Father be glorified but also prays for His disciples and “for those who will believe in me through their message” (John 17:20). Ultimately, the main purpose of prayer is worship. When we pray to the Lord, recognizing Him for who He is and what He has done, it is an act of worship. There are many examples of prayer being an act of worship in the Bible, including 2 Kings 19:15, 1 Chronicles 17:20, Psalm 86:12–13, John 12:28, and Romans 11:33–36. How we pray should reflect this purpose; our focus should be on who God is, not on ourselves.

Prayer is key to your growth in the Lord. Scripture says deep calls unto deep, without prayer we won’t be able to call on the deep things of the Lord, if we want to develop our relationship with Abba, it is imperative we develop a constant and committed prayer life!

Prayer:

Father in the name of Jesus, I love you and remain committed to you, therefore Lord, I receive the spirit of prayer this day, amen!

Further Reading:

Psalm 145:18 “The Lord is near to all who call on him, to all who call on him in truth.”

Jeremiah 33:3 “Call to me and I will answer you and tell you great and unsearchable things you do not know”

Read through the bible in 1 year: Numbers 10:1-11:23 Mark 14:1-21 Psalm 51:1-19 Proverbs 10:31-32

Read through the bible in 2 years: Ez 23-24 & Ps 60