Why pray? (Why should a Christian pray? Should others pray?)
Prayer is essential because it is about relationship with God and the transformation of the person praying. Christians do not pray to change God’s mind or persuade him to act in ways he had not already intended. Instead, prayer shapes their hearts, desires, and habits so they align with God’s will (Matthew 6:10). Jesus teaches that the goal of prayer is communion with the Father, not performance or manipulation (Matthew 6:5–8). That is why Christians pray — prayer forms them into people who love God, trust God, obey God, and reflect God’s character.
1. Christians pray because prayer is covenantal and relational
When Jesus teaches Christians to address God as “Our Father” (Matthew 6:9), he invites them into the intimacy, privilege, and access of the New Covenant. God was already called Father to his people in the Old Testament (Exodus 4:22; Deuteronomy 32:6; Isaiah 63:16), but Jesus extends that relationship to all who belong to him. Prayer is therefore an expression of adoption, the relational life of sons and daughters who approach a Father who hears them (Romans 8:15–17). Christian prayer is rooted in this covenant identity, and without belonging to Christ by faith, a person is not praying to the God revealed in Scripture (John 14:6).
2. Christians pray because prayer transforms the one who prays
Prayer is one of the primary means by which God reshapes the Christian’s desires, thinking, and character. Scripture repeatedly connects prayer with sanctification: God uses prayer to expose motives (Hebrews 4:12), humble the heart (James 4:6–8), cultivate dependence (Matthew 6:11), increase trust (Philippians 4:5–7), and form the Christian into the likeness of Christ (2 Corinthians 3:18). Prayer helps Christians resist the lie of the serpent — that they can live according to their own desires — by continually returning them to allegiance to God (Genesis 3:5; Deuteronomy 6:5). Through prayer, Christians are shaped into covenantally faithful people who increasingly reflect God’s holiness (1 Peter 1:15–16).
3. Christians pray because God commands his people to pray
Scripture does not treat prayer as optional. Christians are instructed to “pray without ceasing” (1 Thessalonians 5:17), to cast their anxieties on him (1 Peter 5:7), to approach the throne of grace with confidence (Hebrews 4:16), and to make requests known with supplication and thanksgiving (Philippians 4:6). Jesus himself models prayer throughout his ministry (Mark 1:35; Luke 5:16), even praying with “loud cries and tears” (Hebrews 5:7). Obedience to Christ includes a life of prayer.
4. Christians pray because God uses prayer as a means of accomplishing his will
Though prayer does not change God’s nature or eternal purposes, God invites his people to participate in what he is doing through prayer (Ephesians 1:11). Jesus teaches that God’s will is carried out on earth through the prayers of his people (Matthew 6:10). Christians pray for daily provision (Matthew 6:11), for forgiveness (Matthew 6:12), for deliverance from evil (Matthew 6:13), for wisdom (James 1:5), for the spread of the gospel (2 Thessalonians 3:1), for rulers and authorities (1 Timothy 2:1–2), and for the flourishing of society (Jeremiah 29:7). Prayer is participation in God’s reign breaking into the world.
5. Christians pray because prayer keeps them in constant communion with God
Prayer is not merely an activity but a posture. Christians are called to maintain continual awareness of God’s presence (1 Thessalonians 5:17). This means adoring God in moments of praise, confessing sin as soon as conviction comes (1 John 1:9), giving thanks in daily blessings (1 Thessalonians 5:18), and offering supplication in times of need (Psalm 50:15). This ongoing communion deepens faith and trains the heart to remain aligned with God in every circumstance.
6. Should others pray?
Anyone may cry out to God in desperation, and God may choose to answer (Psalm 34:17). But true Christian prayer — prayer that rests on covenant access, adoption, and faith in Christ — belongs to those who know God as Father through the Son (Galatians 4:4–6). A person who does not belong to Christ may speak words to God, but it is not the same thing as the prayer Jesus teaches his disciples (John 14:6; Hebrews 10:19–22). Christian prayer is grounded in reconciliation with God, and only through Christ does a person enter that reconciled relationship (Romans 5:1–2).
Bible Verses on Prayer
Matthew 6:9, “Pray then like this: ‘Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name.’”
1 Thessalonians 5:17, “Pray without ceasing.”
Philippians 4:6, “In everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.”
Hebrews 4:16, “Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace.”
James 5:16, “The prayer of a righteous person has great power as it is working.”
Romans 8:15, “You have received the Spirit of adoption as sons, by whom we cry, ‘Abba! Father!’”
Jeremiah 29:7, “Seek the welfare of the city where I have sent you into exile, and pray to the Lord on its behalf.”
Psalm 50:15, “Call upon me in the day of trouble; I will deliver you.”
1 Peter 5:7, “Casting all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you.”
2 Thessalonians 3:1, “Pray for us, that the word of the Lord may speed ahead and be honored.”
