Why Pray To A God Who Knows Everything?

by Stefan Suarez

"God... you know everything... so.. do your thing. If you want to do this thing for me, please do.. if you don't.. it's ok"

That's how I used to pray. I prayed that prayer and in the back of my mind, I thought "whether I pray that or not really won't make a difference... because God is gonna do his thing anyway". The good part is that early on, I had an idea that God was sovereign- and he is. But I was praying powerless prayers, and so I hardly ever did. Yes God does know everything, and yes he is in control. So why pray?

1. Pray because God wants to partner with you. The bible says: "you do not have, because you do not ask God. (James 4:2)" Conversely, he says "ask and you shall receive". Can you imagine that there are mountains to be moved, miracles big and small that can happen and God is only waiting for us to ask? Innumerable times, he says to us that if we ask we will receive, if we pray his will it will come to pass, if we pray in his name it'll be ours and our joy will be complete. There is unspeakable joy knowing that God wants people like you and me to be a part of what he is doing and while he is sovereign, what he entrusts to us he will not take back. If he entrusted for us to pray for our lives, our families, our churches, our country, even the nations of the world and then we do not pray... do you really think something will happen?
   
   
2. Pray because God meets us when we pray. He said that when two or three are gathered in his name, he is there. And if he is there, that's where I want to be. I also believe that when I pray alone he is there. Or when I nervously grope for him when I'm about to do something big, or when I have a problem, just that peace that comes in makes me know my prayers were heard. While many of our needs are deep and sometimes painful, yet I love the fact that we have them. If we never had any need, we would probably forget to seek God... but then we do have them and they remind us of what we should do, whom we should be talking to, and because of them we end up meeting God. More than these little needs that draw us to Him, his presence is really the point of prayer.
   
   
3. Pray because it gives God glory. When we do not pray in spite of a pressing need or circumstance, who do we rely on? And yet sometimes God still bails us out but who does the glory go to? On the other hand, for every specific prayer, big or small that God answers when we come to him, we know exactly what happened and who to thank. Then the glory goes to God. When something dire happens and the first thing we do is pray, that glorifies God because we admit our ability comes to nothing. When we pray and God moves, he looks good. Real good. And isn't that what we live for? The glory of God? This is something God wants us to experience and this is why he loves it when we pray.
   

God is eternal and he's got nothing but time. Never think he's too busy for you. I always imagine him smiling when I pray, excited that I'm checking in as if he's been in that place and had waited so long. As we take the next seven days to stop and pray, let's count it a mighty privilege to participate in what God is doing, and an awesome opportunity to meet with God. As we pray, remember that this is something that brings glory to his name. And so I pray you all have a wonderful time seeking him now, and that we all have a more prayerful 2008!

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