Why bother to pray? Part 3. Because we're told to.

If you are a Christian, then you should be reading your bible occasionally. If you do that, then you are probably reading the New Testament more than the Old. If you do THAT, then you have read in most of the epistles that you should be praying.

I say all of that to reach this conclusion: I shouldn’t have to prove to any Christian that we/they are commanded to pray. In the spirit of being thorough, I will give two quick verses…

1Ti 2:8 I will therefore that men pray every where, lifting up holy hands, without wrath and doubting.

1Th 5:17 Pray without ceasing.

Now that second verse is interesting. We are commanded to pray… a lot. All the time. Yet, we are told by our Lord that our prayers should be simple…

Mt 6:7 But when ye pray, use not vain repetitions, as the heathen do: for they think that they shall be heard for their much speaking.
Mt 6:8 Be not ye therefore like unto them: for your Father knoweth what things ye have need of, before ye ask him.

Huh? Looks like a contradiction to me.
1. Pray a lot.
2. Don’t ask for a lot.

Hmmm. Why bother to pray at all? God has it covered. Nothing much to ask for. Why did He even tell us to pray in the first place?

Short answer is… because asking for stuff isn’t the only thing you can do in prayer.

Long answer is… because THIS (prayer)… is what we were made for. (Col. 1:9-12, Eph. 1:3-6) Our Creator made us… to keep Him company. And be bride to His Son.

Rev 19:7 Let us be glad and rejoice, and give honour to him: for the marriage of the Lamb is come, and his wife hath made herself ready.
Rev 19:8 And to her was granted that she should be arrayed in fine linen, clean and white: for the fine linen is the righteousness of saints.
Rev 19:9 And he saith unto me, Write, Blessed are they which are called unto the marriage supper of the Lamb. And he saith unto me, These are the true sayings of God.

And here… right HERE… is where a lot of Christians miss a blessing. Have you ever noticed that most Christians are… waiting? We’re all waiting for ‘Jesus to come back’. Like a skyfull of airplanes over a busy airport, we’re in a holding pattern, spiritually circling this far-off event and cruising on empty. And in truth, Jesus told us to watch and be ready, so part of our life’s walk does include some well-deserved anticipation.

It’s just not supposed to ALL CONSUMING in our life’s walk. Go back to that passage in Colossians that was quoted earlier and look at verse 13. It says that Christ ‘hath translated us’. It doesn’t say ‘will translate us’. If we are born again, then our spirits are quickened to commune with God… NOW.

1Co 13:11 When I was a child, I spake as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child: but when I became a man, I put away childish things.
1Co 13:12 For now we see through a glass, darkly; but then face to face: now I know in part; but then shall I know even as also I am known.

Christians love these verses in Corinthians and indeed, the entire ‘charity’ chapter. But this verse is also one that speaks of anticipation, so naturally, everyone is looking to the ‘face to face’ part. Well, how about the ‘through a glass darkly’ part? That’s right now. It might not be the perfection to come, but it’s better than not seeing God at all.

Or this one…

Jn 14:20 At that day ye shall know that I am in my Father, and ye in me, and I in you.
Jn 14:21 He that hath my commandments, and keepeth them, he it is that loveth me: and he that loveth me shall be loved of my Father, and I will love him, and will manifest myself to him.
Jn 14:22 Judas saith unto him, not Iscariot, Lord, how is it that thou wilt manifest thyself unto us, and not unto the world?
Jn 14:23 Jesus answered and said unto him, If a man love me, he will keep my words: and my Father will love him, and we will come unto him, and make our abode with him

Again, that’s not later. That’s now. The Comforter and the Father and the Son…are gonna visit a practicing Christian… now.

That’s what prayer is. That’s what prayer does. Prayer is us spending time with our God and snuggling up to Him. Prayer is praise and worship and conversation and ‘family time’… with God.

Have you ever read The Song of Solomon? Bet a lot of you have. It’s not a big book. Just eight little chapters. Wedged between Ecclesiastes and Isaiah, both of which are ‘heavyweight’ works. Song of Solomon is light. Song of Solomon is… well, it’s risqué. It speaks of breasts and a bride’s bed and lovemaking… and it’s kind of adult content. Which may be why you’ve read it. Most teenagers read it and snicker that such stuff would be in the bible.

That’s us. We are that bride and Jesus is the husband. Not JUST in the future. That’s how it is now. In prayer…

SS 3:1 By night on my bed I sought him whom my soul loveth: I sought him, but I found him not. SS 3:2 I will rise now, and go about the city in the streets, and in the broad ways I will seek him whom my soul loveth: I sought him, but I found him not.
SS 3:3 The watchmen that go about the city found me: to whom I said, Saw ye him whom my soul loveth?
SS 3:4 It was but a little that I passed from them, but I found him whom my soul loveth: I held him, and would not let him go, until I had brought him into my mother's house, and into the chamber of her that conceived me.

Doesn’t that sound a lot like this…?

Ps 63:5 My soul shall be satisfied as with marrow and fatness; and my mouth shall praise thee with joyful lips:
Ps 63:6 When I remember thee upon my bed, and meditate on thee in the night watches.
Ps 63:7 Because thou hast been my help, therefore in the shadow of thy wings will I rejoice.
Ps 63:8 My soul followeth hard after thee: thy right hand upholdeth me.

Which is obviously praying.

And the result of that prayer isn’t in some distant future. Our husband responds right now…

SS 4:9 Thou hast ravished my heart, my sister, my bride; Thou hast ravished my heart with one of thine eyes, With one chain of thy neck.
SS 4:10 How fair is thy love, my sister, my bride! How much better is thy love than wine! And the fragrance of thine oils than all manner of spices!
SS 4:11 Thy lips, O my bride, drop as the honeycomb: Honey and milk are under thy tongue; And the smell of thy garments is like the smell of Lebanon.

When He says, ‘thy lips’ in verse 11? That’s prayer. In Song of Solomon, it seems that every physical aspect of a human anatomy gets discussed at one point. Hair, teeth, eyes…etc. Even loins. They are all symbols for what our Husband sees in us spiritually. Hair is how we adorn our spirits with humility. Teeth is what we eat... how and how often we feed at the Word. Eyes are what we spiritually focus on in our lives. Loins is what we give spiritual passion to.

'One of thine eyes' means our Husband likes for us to look at Him...

Mt 6:21 for where thy treasure is, there will thy heart be also.
Mt 6:22 The lamp of the body is the eye: if therefore thine eye be single, thy whole body shall be full of light.

And 'lips'? Lips is prayer. Our lips are honeycomb to our Husband.

Rev 8:3 And another angel came and stood over the altar, having a golden censer; and there was given unto him much incense, that he should add it unto the prayers of all the saints upon the golden altar which was before the throne.
Rev 8:4 And the smoke of the incense, with the prayers of the saints, went up before God out of the angel's hand.

So instead of asking ‘why bother to pray’, my question to any Christian (or person at all) would be…

Why would you NOT want to pray? All the time?