I want to start with few reasons why prayer is vital for sustainability in your life:

Reason #1 why is prayer important? – Closeness to God

Why is prayer important? One of the major misconceptions about God is that He is some being far away just sitting on a throne in Heaven watching us from a distance. That couldn’t be further from the truth. God wants you to know that He is always close by and available. 

The righteous cry out, and the Lord hears them; he delivers them from all their troubles. The Lord is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit. Psalm 34:18,19

At its core, praying is simply a conversation. Think about your own earthly connections with family and friends. Great communication leads to strong relationships. 

Imagine if your best friend called you just once a year or your significant other only communicated when they really needed something. How close would that relationship be? Not talking is a poor strategy for developing a close relationship for many reasons. Unfortunately, sometimes we can be that type of “best friend” or “significant other” to God. 

Do you want to be closer to God? Pray. Talk to Him!

The LORD is close to all who call on him, yes, to all who call on him in truth. Psalm 145:18

Reason #2 why prayer is important – We gain perspective

Why is prayer important? Prayer opens the door to greater understanding. 

One of the reasons that this is true is, through prayer, we acknowledge a higher power than ourselves. That is a big step. We as humans don’t have all the answers. Recognizing this fact helps us set aside our emotions and seek the truth. The two can be very different. 

Second, praying allows us to confront areas of our life where we need help. Let’s be honest, we tend to bury the tough stuff. When we pray, we bring our circumstances before the only one that can truly help us. God knows everything, therefore there is no-one more qualified in our time of need to provide a solution. When is your time of need? Now. No-one reading this doesn’t have needs. God can help.

Whether you are in a good place but need direction or things feel hopeless, remember that God makes the impossible possible.

Have a tough question? Ask God! 

Here are some scriptures to consider on why is prayer important for gaining perspective.

If our hearts condemn us, we know that God is greater than our hearts, and He knows everything. 1 John 3:20

If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you.

James 1:5

Reason #3 why is prayer important – It’s the example Jesus set

Why is prayer important? Look at Jesus . He prayed often. It was because even He, in His earthly body, needed to be connected daily with the Father to stay strong enough to accomplish what He needed to do on this earth. You may not be called to be nailed to a cross, but you are made to do great things. That will require strength.

Just as Jesus drew strength from prayer to complete His mission on earth, so should you. Do you realize that you are here for a purpose? You are. Prayer is important because it is a source of strength, wisdom, and guidance. Jesus prayed and encouraged us to pray. The life of an effective Christian starts with prayer.

Scriptures to consider how Jesus showed us that prayer is important.

Jesus went out to a mountainside to pray, and spent the night praying to God. Luke 6:22

Then Jesus told his disciples a parable to show them that they should always pray and not give up.

John 18:1

Don’t give up. Pray instead.

May this be beginning of the breakthrough that you need to have a closer relationship with God.

Hope to see you on Sunday

Dr. Mendoza