“What is the purpose of prayer?” That question popped into my mind this week, and I knew it was from the Lord. As I contemplated, it occurred to me that if we want to know anything about prayer, the best place to start looking is the Lord Jesus Himself. He gave His disciples the “Lord’s Prayer,” a model prayer that can be prayed as it is or used as a template. Within those few lines, the 7 purposes of prayer are revealed. All of them show us who God is as well as who we are in Christ.
These verses are from Matthew 6:9-13.
“Our Father which art in heaven”
1. Prayer Builds Our Relationship with God
The first part of the Lord’s Prayer reminds us that God is our Heavenly Father. We have a relationship with Him that is closer than a servant to a King. We have been born again into His family. He is a Father to us and loves us as one of His own. 1 Thessalonians 5:17 tells us to “Pray without ceasing.” We can come to Him with anything – big or little, exciting or devastating – He will be there for us to listen and comfort and encourage us every time. We can live our lives in constant communion with our Heavenly Father. After all, when we speak to people, we look at them. Keeping our eyes focused on the Lord and listening for His replies are the best ways to build a relationship with Him and keep ourselves in perfect peace (Isaiah 26:3).
“Hallowed be thy name”
2. Prayer Allows Us to Express Our Praise and Thanks
The Lord is great and greatly to be praised. James 1:17 says, “Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning.” He is responsible for every good thing in our lives and worthy of all our adoration and gratitude. How little time we (or at least I) spend in adoration in comparison to the great things the Lord has done for us! Spending prayer time praising God for who He is and thanking Him for what He has done reminds us of the bigness of our God compared to the smallness of our current problems. He is worthy!
“Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven.”
3. Prayer Exercises Our Faith
This life is not all there is. As dark as it seems to be right now, we know that one day the Lord will come back again and make everything right. Until then, we must hold on to all the promises of God. We pray in faith that His Word is true and show by our actions that we believe that He is coming again soon. We come to Him again and again in faith that He is who He says He is and will do what He says He will do. Mark 11:24 says, “Therefore I say unto you, What things soever ye desire, when ye pray, believe that ye receive them, and ye shall have them.” Like muscles that get stronger with use, our prayers of faith do the same thing.
“Give us this day our daily bread.”
4. Prayer Reminds Us of Our Dependence
Supplication (asking for things we need and want) and intercession (asking for things for others) both remind us of our desperate need for the Lord. John 15:7 says, “If ye abide in me, and my words abide in you, ye shall ask what ye will, and it shall be done unto you.” God encourages us to ask Him for things. Have you ever noticed that this verse is sandwiched between the one that reminds us that apart from Him we can do nothing (John 15:5) and the verse that says that when God answers our prayers, it helps us bear fruit to glorify God (John 15:8)? We may be weak and powerless on our own, but with our heartfelt prayers to the Lord, He can use us to accomplish great things for His glory (and our good).
“And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors.”
5. Prayer Keeps Us Right with God
Asking forgiveness when we do the wrong things is an important part of any relationship and so much more in our relationship with God. A holy God wants nothing to do with sin but promises to forgive us when we ask. 1 John 1:9 says, “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” The only condition is that we must forgive others. Matthew 5:23-24 says, “Herefore if thou bring thy gift to the altar, and there rememberest that thy brother hath ought against thee, leave there thy gift before the altar, and go thy way. First be reconciled to thy brother, and then come and offer thy gift.” Prayer reminds us to stay in right relationship with God and others.
“And lead us not into temptation”
6. Prayer Allows God to Guide Us
Romans 8:14 says, “For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God.” Living in close relationship with God, we already have the benefit of the Holy Spirit who will lead us into all truth (John 16:13). But we also have the great privilege of asking for guidance in any situation. We don’t have to face our walk on this earth alone or make big decisions when we have no idea what all the variables are. God knows everything past, present, and future. He will show us what to do when we ask Him in faith to guide us.
“But deliver us from evil.”
7. Prayer Provides Protection
Physical danger is just one of the many situations we can pray about. There are also spiritual scenarios that we can’t even imagine. The Lord will watch over us and our loved ones when we ask Him to do it. Psalm 34:17 says, “The righteous cry, and the Lord heareth, and delivereth them out of all their troubles.” Whether it is traveling mercies when we take a trip, a nighttime walk in a parking lot, or a spiritual attack, the Lord hears us when we pray, and His hand of protection will be on us.
The 7 Purposes of Prayer
“For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever. Amen.”
The Lord’s Prayer reveals that there are 7 basic purposes for prayer. Prayer builds our relationship with God, allows us to express our praise and thanksgiving, exercises our faith, reminds us of our dependence on Him, keeps us right with Him, and allows God to guide us and protect us. As His children, we have direct access to the One who loves us, cares for us, and keeps us. After all, it’s His kingdom, He has the power, and it’s all for his glory. Without Him, we don’t have a prayer.
Enjoy articles about prayer? Try 9 Reasons God Doesn’t Hear Our Prayers. Or try A Testimony of Healing After a Prayer in Faith. Please subscribe in the upper right corner (or at the bottom on a phone). Also, check out my YouTube Channel. There, I read my blogs out loud and have a playlist of hymns from my church. Far from boring, they are fast, sassy, and anointed hymns and gospel songs.
