Have you wondered why prayer is important in Christianity? Are you a passionate Christian but are feeling dry and distant from God lately? Or are you a DOING Christian who has been spending all your time doing things for God but are not able to take time to pray regularly?
Have you been putting off Prayer or just praying on the fly because you don’t have enough time as you juggle family, work, and church? What if I told you that Prayer is the very foundation and the cord that connects you with God? Read reasons why is prayer important in Christianity to get back on track with your prayer rhythm.
Why is it important to pray regularly? Everyone at some point must have had questions run through their mind about prayer.
- Why should we pray to God every day?
- Is prayer important to God?
- Is prayer powerful?
To answer these questions, let’s first lay the very foundation of Prayer!
What is Prayer in Christianity?
Prayer is our mode of communication with God.
To understand what is the meaning of Prayer in Christianity, we must understand it from the stance of God because God created us to be in a relationship with Him.
“God created us to be in relationship with Him.”
Our very existence on the earth is for the purpose of being in a relationship with God. God intended man to be in fellowship with Him, which is why He created man in His image.
So, where do prayers come from? Prayers come from God in heaven because He designed Prayer to be our mode of communication with Him.
There can be a lot of definitions of Prayer. But, as per the Hebrew Bible, “Prayer is an evolving means of interacting with God, most frequently through a spontaneous, individual, unorganized form of petitioning and/or thanking.”
But, what is Prayer in simple words? I’d say Prayer is a conversation with God.
“Prayer is a conversation with God.”
How we have conversations with our family, friends, and community can be the same way we are to have conversations with God.
Conversations keep us in an ongoing relationship with people. In the same way, conversations keep us in an ongoing relationship with God.
So, what does Prayer do? “Prayer keeps us in an ongoing relationship with God.”
“Prayer keeps us in an ongoing relationship with God.”
What is the purpose of Prayer in Christianity?
The purpose of Prayer is to nurture your relationship with God.
“The purpose of Prayer is to nurture your relationship with God.”
Many Christians think that by going to church, by relentlessly doing things for God, they are nurturing their relationship with God.
Yes, that is partly true, but not entirely true! It is essential to do things for God but not in a way that compromises our prayer life.
For example, as a wife and a mother, I can show my love to my family by doing things for them, cooking, taking care of their needs, making the house ready for them, etc.
But if all the things I do for them are not backed by my deep conversations with them, would they feel connected and loved?
Many times DOING all the right things has no value when not backed by BEING. Regular deep conversations are what nurture and strengthen our relationships with family and friends. Our relationship with God is no different!
We can also take the example of Martha and Mary from the Bible. Martha was busy organizing things for God, but Mary prioritized sitting at Jesus’ feet. Jesus called out to Martha when she complained about Mary.
Luke 10:41-42 (NIV) – “Martha, Martha,” the Lord answered, “you are worried and upset about many things, 42 but few things are needed—or indeed only one. Mary has chosen what is better, and it will not be taken away from her.”
More than anything, it is the heartbeat of God for us to have a deep intimate relationship with Him. And Prayer makes that possible!
“The heartbeat of God is for us to have an intimate relationship with Him.”
That doesn’t mean we stop doing everything and only pray. We must find a precise balance between Martha and Mary in the modern world.
Why is Prayer Important for Christians?
To know why Prayer is important for Christians, we should first understand how important Prayer is in the Bible. It can be explained by the sacrifice of Jesus on the cross. Sin separated us from fellowship with God, but our relationship with God is restored through the sacrifice of Jesus on the cross.
50 Then Jesus shouted out again, and he released his spirit. 51 At that moment the curtain in the sanctuary of the Temple was torn in two, from top to bottom.
The curtain that stopped us from entering the most holy place, which is the throne room of God, was torn. Christians are now allowed through Christ our High Priest to enter the most holy place and fellowship with God.
Through the ministry of reconciliation, we are now joined with God. It explains loud and clear why Christians should pray!
1. Prayer is important because it is the pillar of our very existence and relationship with God.
What role does Prayer play in shaping your relationship with God? I’d say the role of Prayer serves as a pillar that gives meaning to your existence and carefully shapes and molds your relationship with God on a continual basis.
2. Prayer is important because it meets our need for love and connection.
We are wired for love and relationship; most importantly, God wired us to be in a relationship with Him. We look around the world for something to meet our need for connection and relationship, but the answer is found in God through Prayer.
If you have this unfulfilled need to connect, but nothing you do satisfies that need, try praying! I’d say with experience that this need for connection comes naturally, so Prayer comes naturally to us.
3. Prayer is important because it allows us to live in our true identity as a royal priesthood.
When we nurture our relationship with God through Prayer, we can live in our identity in Christ as a royal priesthood.
1 Peter 2:9 But you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, His own special people, that you may proclaim the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light;
Although we have repeatedly heard and read this scripture, many of us still find ourselves in a place of doubt and dismay. We have struggled with our identity, believing what the world says about us.
The good news is that, as Christians, we CAN live in the true identity of who we are in Christ THROUGH Prayer.
That is why Christians should pray! Prayer enables us to live in our true identity as a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, and God’s special people.
4. Prayer is important because it is the call of every Christian.
God has called us to pray. He wants the church to be a house of Prayer. Church isn’t just limited to the four walls on Sunday, but “church is Christians.” You are the church, and your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit. A temple is a place where Prayer, worship, and adoration happen. So, every Christian should be a house of Prayer through a relationship with God.
5. Prayer is important because it opens the doors for favor in our lives.
When you are in a love relationship with God and spend time with God in Prayer, God opens the doors of favor for you.
Psalms 5:11-12 Let those also who love Your name be joyful in You. For You, O Lord, will bless the righteous; with favor, You will surround him as with a shield.
God defends us amid our enemies and surrounds us with favor during trials. He shields us and protects us like a father protects his children.
To sum it all up, Prayer is of utmost importance in Christianity because God created us to be in a relationship with Him through Prayer. Through Jesus, we can now boldly enter His throne room of grace.
Being in a relationship with God through Prayer sets the right tone in your life, which is very important for every Christian. Prayer enables us to live a life that makes us more like Jesus every day.
In conclusion, I leave you with this question: How important is Prayer for you?
Let me know through your comments below.
