Lesson 6: Why Do We Pray?

“How gracious [the Lord] will be when you cry for help! As soon as He hears, He will answer you.” Isaiah 30:19b.

Prayer is a conversation between you and God. He loves to hear you talking to Him! You can call out to God in praise, confession of your sins, thanking Him for something He has given or done for you, asking for help, and much more. Prayer is talking with the One who not only created you but loves you more than anyone else ever could.

Why should we pray? When you meet someone new, you talk with them to get to know them and to let them get to know you. That is what prayer is with God – you getting to know Him. Since He already knows everything about you, there is nothing new you can tell Him, but that act of telling Him how you feel or what you are thinking or wondering brings you closer to Him. Just as a loving parent wants to hear from their child, God wants to hear from us. As our Father, God will listen to us, His children. We want to maintain our relationship with God. Without prayer, we would be cut off from a great part of life with Him. When we know what we have asked, and we see Him answer, our next prayer is praise and thanks to Him for how He answered us. We are in partnership with Him for what He wants to do.


Prayer is the primary relationship-builder from our point of view with God. The Lord is constantly speaking to us through the Bible (His Word). He wants us to respond to Him through prayer. We should pray simply because God wants us to. By praying, we are being obedient.

God has also given many other reasons we should pray. His Word tells us that “the earnest prayer of a righteous person has great power and produces wonderful results” (James 5:16). In other words, He acts to do His will because our prayers give Him the “right” to act in someone else’s life. His Word also promises that God will “faithfully answer our prayers with awesome deeds” (Psalm 65:5). Jesus said that as long as you are praying in God’s will, “You can pray for anything, and if you have faith, you will receive it” (Matthew 21:22).

What should we pray for? The Apostle Paul instructed his Christian friends, “pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank Him for all He has done” (Philippians 4:6). God wants us to live lives of joy. He made us to reflect His image and follow His ways. When we pray and God answers our prayers, it shows His goodness. When other people see God’s goodness, it can attract them to a relationship with the Lord.

Pray today that you will grow closer to God through prayer.
Suggested scriptures to read: Matthew 6:5-13, 2 Chronicles 7:11-22
Memorize: Jeremiah 33:3 – “Call to Me and I will answer you, and will tell you great and hidden things that you have not known.”