Prayer…Why Bother?

“In the morning, O Lord, you hear my voice; in the morning I lay my requests before you and wait in expectation.” Psalm 5:3

Why do I bother with prayer?  Does it really make a difference?  Does it even matter?

Have you asked these questions?

If you’re reluctant to answer “yes”, may I cut in front of you in line and be the first to raise my hand that I have?  Over and over again.  It is a struggle of mine.  Is it a struggle of yours?

As a Christian, I think the issue I struggle with most, is prayer.  I have been there asking, “why do we pray?”  I’ve asked, “Is God even listening?”  I’ve asked God, “when will You answer me?”  And many times, I’ve walked away saying, “what’s the point?”

And there in the pages of the Psalms I see King David asking the same questions.  A mighty man of God, writer of Bible, a pillar of God’s works…actually questioning the validity of his prayers? Really?

Answer me when I call to you, O my righteous God…be merciful to me and hear my prayer. Psalm 4:1

My soul is in anguish. How long, O Lord, how long? Psalm 6:3

Why, O Lord, do you stand far off? Why do you hide yourself in times of trouble? Psalm 10:1

In the 66 books that make up the Bible, David is merely one person out of hundreds that questioned his connection to prayer with God.  Beginning with Adam and ending with John—person after person cried out wondering why their prayers weren’t heard.  Centuries later, we’re still asking the same question, “do you hear me Lord?”

I’ve come to learn that God in fact answers our prayers.  But here’s the rub; those answers fall under one of three categories: Yes, No, and Not now?

We can all get behind the “yes” answers.  Those are glorious days!  Those are healed bodies, saved souls, lives fixed.  Those get the hallelujahs.   But what about the “no’s?”  The death of loved ones.  The prodigal children.  The illness diagnosis.  The tragic events—all when we’re asking for just the opposite. These are the answers that suggest God isn’t there.  These are the no’s that separate us from the hallelujahs.  These are the pinpricks that cause us to question God’s holiness.  And the “not now’s”, well those go without mention.

Question:  How do we live with those three options?

Answer:  What size is your God?

I’m sorry to say, but it boils down to just that.  You see, when God is bigger than the universe itself, the answers make sense—it’s all in His order, on His time, for His purpose.  When God is about the size of us little humans, well, then the whole order of things makes no sense.  Questioning why things happen the way they do amounts to the same questioning of why my checkbook won’t balance.  The great unknown.

And that is where the reason for prayer is revealed.  When you give yourself over to God and acknowledge that He is big—prayer is your connection.  It is the life-line, phone-line, cable-line, between the Creator and the creation.  When God is big, our words aren’t merely celestial menu orderings.  When God is big, our prayers are followed with the belief the answer will be His, and His alone—not ours. And when we come to that place of understanding, peace in the answer fills our soul.

And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. Philippians 4:7

Peace of mind and heart, is the reason for prayer.

Peace that gets you through the “no’s”, is the reason for prayer.

Peace, given only by a big God, is the reason for prayer.

Why bother? …… Good question.

Have you ever struggled with prayer? I would love to hear about it. Please share your comments below.