Why Prayer Is Important
When we look at the Earth—the whole world—what do we see? Suffering of all kinds, violence of all kinds. There is only one thing that will change this. That is for our dear Lord Jesus to return. He will put an end to violence and the violent.1 He will put an end to sin of all kinds. He will put an end to suffering. His return will usher righteousness to the Earth.2 The next age will be unspeakably wonderful. All Christians should greatly long for this.
We can hasten His return.3 How? By praying. Our prayer opens the way for the Lord to do what is on His heart. Our prayer also helps us grow and mature in Him. Both of these are necessary for the Lord to come back to the earth. So then, pray, pray, and pray some more. Pray continually, pray unceasingly.4 We must watch and pray at all times that we may be accounted worthy to stand before the Son of Man and escape all the things about to come upon the Earth.5
However, you may be wondering why we should pray, why prayer is necessary. Of course, the Lord commanded us to pray always,6 and that is sufficient reason for us to do so. But that does not answer the question, Why? What is so important about prayer? Why does God want us to pray? There are two great reasons for this. One of them is objective, outside of us. The second is subjective, within us. One has to do with happenings on the Earth and the arrangement of things for the coming of God’s kingdom. The other has to do with the condition of our heart—our transformation and maturity in the Lord.
Consider this. God gave man dominion over all the earth.7 However, through the fall, man handed that dominion to Satan. As Satan said,8 all the kingdoms of the world had been delivered to him. He has been ruling over mankind through sin in the flesh.9 Consequently, he has been the one who has ruled the earth. What God needs is some men on the earth who are living not in the flesh, but in the spirit, in Christ.10 This is crucial. From such a position in Christ, they—through their prayer—can open the way for God to accomplish what is on His heart. They lay down the tracks—so to speak—for the divine “locomotive.” They can and should command the Lord to move on the earth.11 Through their prayer, God’s kingdom is brought to earth.12 Without their prayer, Satan continues to damage and wreak havoc on Earth.
Now consider what happens inwardly as we pray. As we do, we are brought closer to God, closer to our Lord Jesus. We are brought nearer and nearer until we are one with Him.13 Then we are in Him in our experience, and He is in us, living out through us in our prayer. How crucial is this? Without this, how could we grow in Christ? How could Christ be matured in us? Our prayer is absolutely essential for us to mature. And, our maturity is required for the Lord to return. Recall what the Lord said: The harvest is the end of the age.14 A harvest comes when the crop is ripe. We—as God’s crop—must grow. We must ripen. We must fully mature in Christ for our Lord’s coming.
So then, both objectively and subjectively, prayer is crucial. Pray, pray, and pray some more. Pray, “Lord Jesus, give me your praying heart. Whatever it takes, Lord, break through in me that your prayer would be on my lips continually. Take my slothful heart and give me Your prayerful heart!”
