2. One reason he prayed was as an example so that we could learn from him. That is why we are obliged to attend Sunday Mass and why the Church calls the Mass the “source and summit of the Christian life.” During it, we engage in a conversation with God. Reason #1: Christians pray because they have faith that GOD loves us and cares for us. 3. God calls us to pray and we must respond. Because this last part involves a possible severe violation of the second commandment, I want to clearly illustrate why I don't think we have reached that standard. John 17) because while they share the same being they are different in person. 50 For whoever does the will of my Father in heaven is my brother and sister and mother.” For example, we can appropriate God-breathed prayers in Scripture as they match our own circumstances. This is why Jesus can both be God and still pray to God (e.g. Ephesians 2:18 tells us that through Christ both Jews and Gentiles have access to the Father in the Spirit. by Rick Warren — November 17, 2017 “And I will do whatever you ask in my name, so that the Father may be glorified in the Son. We can ask Him to send His angels to war against the demonic horde. Because we cannot do it in ourselves. Seems like they worship her but she was a sinner just like everyone else. You may ask me for anything in my name, and I will do it” (John 14:13-14 NIV). Jesus’ prayer in the garden for instance, was quite a different prayer (Matthew 26:39). We are to ask for his kingdom to come, for his will to be done as in heaven, for him to give us daily bread, for the forgiveness of our sins, that we would be kept from temptation and be delivered from evil. God’s people have been doing that with the Psalms for thousands of years. We are using the authority of His name to get whatever we want done. Here are six specific reasons why Christians pray. In John chapter 17, we find Jesus' high priestly prayer. Prayer was an important part of Jesus' life. It should be noted that asking one person to pray for you in no way violates Christ’s mediatorship between God and man. When you pray in such an environment God is able to reveal his desire for you and the purpose that he has installed in your heart. It says that if we sin, we have an Advocate with the Father - Jesus Christ the Righteous. Just like we can’t just go talk to the President unless invited, the same is true with God, so Jesus invited us to do so. This is why Jesus gave time to God when it’s quiet with no interruptions. This was the pattern the Apostle Paul gives us in Ephesians 3:14-21. Prayer isn’t asking God for parking spots and 20% discounts at your favorite retail store. Prayer is asking God to mold our hearts to look like Christ. We are also to pray in the name of Christ. If God is in control of human history and also directs individual lives, what’s the point of praying? Okay, there are really two parts to the story. Prayer is being the hands and feet of Jesus in this broken world. What we need is not always what we want but God in his provident mercy gives us what we need. Why did Jesus pray? Out of habit and duty? Why do we pray? God is a jealous God, so why pray to and worship a human woman? We are instructed to pray in the "name of Jesus" and we always pray "through Jesus" or that is our intent. We pray because God commands us to pray (Philippians 4:6-7). Rather it is an outline of a potential prayer, and a very good prayer at that, which covers many of the things we should pray about. Jesus said: “I am the way and the truth and the life. To the Lord Jesus, we pray as to the Father because they are equal. Do we pray so we can get stuff from God? We only can come to God in prayer pleading for grace, because we have a high priest, which is why we pray in Jesus’ name. That doesn't mean merely saying at the end of a prayer, "In Jesus' name, Amen." Praying to God the Father. There are a few more significant reasons. We can exercise the privilege of prayer because Jesus has made a sacrifice for us – He bridges the gap between us and God. Why do Catholics confess their sins to a priest, rather than going directly to God? These are questions worth thinking about because they link themselves to a certain outlook on faith and God himself. You might be surprised. Not long ago, I opened the Bible, desiring to find out more about the role and importance of intercession. But why do we need to pray? Praying in the name of Jesus means praying for things Jesus would pray for; it means praying in a way that honors Jesus. Jesus also said to pray in His name. (Hebrews 4:15-16) Without Jesus we have no relationship with God and cannot even talk to Him in prayer. God, the Father, sent His only Son to satisfy that judgment for those who believe in Him. For one thing, prayer is a form of serving God (Luke 2:36-38) and obeying Him. Notice that Jesus said to Bartimaeus, “your faith has saved you.” Bartimaeus was a person of faith, not a person who prayed only in a crisis to get what he wanted from God. I would never let my kids — at least I tried not to — use “in Jesus’ name, amen” as a throwaway phrase at the end of prayer. Sometimes we pray for what we want and instead God gives us what we need. Jesus Prayed Regularly. As was His prayer recorded in John 17. So, my view is that the general pattern of prayer is to pray to the Father in the name of Jesus. This is a question many Christians, as well as people with other beliefs, have asked. He comes to us, body, blood, soul and divinity in Holy Communion. We must pray to God in Jesus’ name because this is the only way God has approved for us to approach Him. Jesus prayed because of His relationship with the Father. It’s much more than that. We can see that in this prayer, we are to ask God for things. We as Christians also should emulate that and have prayer time when and where it’s calm with no disruptions. The Bible says, “And I will do whatever you ask in my name, so that the Father may be glorified in the Son. Why do Catholics pray to Mary? We also should pray in the name of the Son, as Jesus also taught in John 16:23-24. Stephen, as he was being martyred, prayed, “Lord Jesus, receive my spirit” (Acts 7:59). Some days I struggle to pray. So even if we do not pray on behalf of others, God would still know their needs, right? But there are other prayers in the New Testament which do not follow the exact same pattern. Answer: For the Christian, praying is supposed to be like breathing, easier to do than to not do. Why did Jesus pray? If He is God, why did Jesus pray? 2. We have all sinned and deserve God’s judgment. If we cannot change God’s mind, why should we pray?" If Jesus isn't actually God, then it's idol worship to raise a doctrine of man (such as the ones enshrined by the first seven ecumenical councils) to the level of knowing who is God and who isn't. This is because they’ve mistaken God as a genie instead of the one true God Almighty. Well, the quick answer is because that’s the way God wants us to do it. Jesus taught that we should trust GOD's kindness and provisions. We can seek His will in our own lives as we resist the evil one. And we are not supposed to pray without the name of Jesus because Jesus instructed us not to. Jesus prayed to God the Father and taught us to do the same. Hebrews 4:15-16 refers to Jesus as our High Priest : "For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin. When we pray in Jesus’ name, we are acknowledging that, without the work of Christ, we would be alienated from God forever. Do we pray because God is likely to change his will? In Matthew 12:48 Jesus says “Who is my mother, and who are my brothers?” 49 Pointing to his disciples, he said, “Here are my mother and my brothers. When we ask in the name of Jesus we are not running errands for Him. Jesus taught us to pray to God the Father in Matthew 6. We pray for a variety of reasons. And the first part starts very well. Most examples of prayer in the Bible are prayers directly addressed to God. #5: Pray for God’s will in your life “your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven” (Matthew 6:10 NIV) If we’re to truly pick up our cross and follow Jesus, it means we have to submit to God’s plan for our lives. We don’t typologically fulfill Scripture in the same way that Jesus does, but we can and should pray Scripture appropriately with reference to our contexts. “But when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen.” (Matthew 6:6 NIV) We don’t go wrong when we pray directly to God the Father. Submission to His Will. Why do we pray? He speaks to us through His Word and teaches us through His minister. Yet not one of them is forgotten by God. This one’s hard. Now, I believe there is nothing wrong with asking God to bless us. From the very earliest days, the church and its theologians have taken Paul’s vision in Romans 5:12–21 of the two men Adam and Christ, who determine the destiny of all people to be a very strong dominant image in salvation. We should pray because we can participate in a spiritual battle. Simple as that. In the Bible, God commands people, multiple times, to pray. Each person of the Trinity plays different roles in how they interact in the lives of believers and unbelievers alike. In prayer, we can ask God to move in the spiritual realm. So when we approach God we do so in the authority of Jesus Christ. In order to pray to Jesus instead of God the Father, one has to be absolutely sure the humans living after Jesus got it right. She was just a human being like all of us - granted she was special and blessed among women because she bore the Christ child, but she was never sinless, no human being is sinless except Jesus Christ who was God in flesh form (John 1:14). Catholics seem to think Mary was sinless but of course she wasn't. The time I spent with the Word taught me five lessons. No one comes to the Father except through me.” Jesus also told his faithful apostles: “Most truly I say to you, If you ask the Father for anything he will give it to you in my name.”—John 16:23. Do we pray because if we don’t, we think that God won’t have the opportunity to change his will? These words express something glorious and essential. However, this is just one small but important reason why we should pray. These lessons have been a tremendous encouragement to me and they urge me to reexamine my doubts towards praying for others. Why Do We Pray in Jesus’ Name? There are two men — Adam and Christ. I told them, don’t slur that, don’t rush that. Many times in the Gospels, we read that Jesus prayed or went alone to pray apart from the disciples. Or, do we pray because it’s somehow a solvent for events and realities well outside of our control? Prayer to one member of the Trinity is prayer to all. In prayer, we are acknowledging that the only way to God is through Jesus. In order to pray to Jesus instead of God the Father, one has to be absolutely sure the humans living after Jesus got it right. 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