Why Doesn’t Prayer Work?ናሙና

Our Daily Bread: How Do You Walk With God? 

When we love someone, we look forward to spending time with them. We want to hear every detail of their day—the highs and the lows, what they ate for lunch, and what they wish they ate for lunch. 

Just like we want to be in regular conversation with our best friend or close family member, we should also look forward to daily talks with our heavenly Father. Whatever happens in life—the good moments and the bad—whatever is on your mind, bring it to your good Father!

The Bible doesn’t tell us much about Enoch, but we know he walked in close fellowship with God (Gen. 5:24). He was one of two people in Scripture who never had to experience physical death. (Elijah is the other, and his story is recorded in 2 Kings 2.) Hebrews 11:5 says: “Enoch was taken up to heaven without dying—he disappeared because God took him” (NLT).

Enoch’s story is significant because of his close relationship with God. We don’t know what his earthly accomplishments were, but we do know that “he was known as a person who pleased God” (Heb. 11:5, NLT). Enoch was a man of strong faith who shared ongoing conversations with his Father. 

Even though Scripture gives us examples of people who had a relationship with God, there’s no formula for creating a perfect prayer life. Your unique prayer relationship with God might look different from your friend’s, parent’s, or pastor’s prayer life (and that’s okay!). But just like Enoch, we can all strive to live in a relationship with God by treating prayer as an ongoing conversation.

Questions for Reflection: 

Consider your closest companions. How did those relationships start? How do you nurture them? Do you have specific people you go to about specific news in your life?

Have you ever found yourself comparing the way you pray to the way the people around you pray? How did that affect you? 

In The Lord’s Prayer, Jesus instructs us to ask God for our “daily bread.” What steps can you take to pursue a more active relationship with your Father?