Pray Because Prayer Changes You

A second reason to pray: time with God changes us.

When we are in the presence of God, his Spirit transforms us. Prayer is the way the Carpenter shapes and molds the wood of our lives. He must touch us to change us. In prayer, we do not talk about him, but to him. We do not study him; we are with him. And then our time in prayer makes us more like his Son, which is his purpose for our lives (Romans 8:29).

Frederick Buechner said that we are to pray continually “not, one assumes, because you have to beat a path to God’s door before he’ll open it, but because until you beat the path maybe there’s no way of getting to your door.” 

Blaise Pascal believed that “All the troubles of life come upon us because we refuse to sit quietly for a while each day in our rooms.” 

Gordon MacDonald adds: “I have begun to see that worship and intercession are far more the business of aligning myself with God’s purposes than asking him to align with mine.”

Oswald Chambers taught, “Prayer is the way the life of God is nourished. We look upon prayer as a means of getting things for ourselves; the Bible’s idea of prayer is that we may get to know God himself.”

Why does God want us to pray?

We pray because God tells us to. Why does he want us to pray? Because then he can shape and mold us, preparing us for eternity and using us on earth. 

Prayer is the hand of God on our souls.

And so prayer positions us to receive what God’s grace wants to give. You could not read these words unless you were close enough to your screen to see them. Being in front of your screen does not mean that you deserve these words, good or bad. Just that you can receive them.

In the same way, there is much God wants to give us but cannot until we are willing to receive his grace. We have not because we ask not (James 4:2). 

He wanted to guide me in writing this devotional but could not speak effectively to me unless I were ready to listen. He wants to guide you through the rest of this day but cannot unless you are willing to follow. Time in prayer connects your Spirit with his so you can hear his voice and follow his will.

In these ways, prayer does not change God so much as it changes us.

So we are to pray because God requires it, and because he uses prayer in our lives.

When last did prayer change you?