Why Don't We Pray?

…pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus. –1 Thessalonians 5:17-18 NIV

We know prayer works, right? We say we do, but often when challenges arise—big or small—we run everywhere but to the throne of grace. We seek affirmation, consolation, and agreement from friends or anyone who will listen. We scour Christian self-help books looking for our answers in someone else’s experiences. Then, we tearfully immerse ourselves in worship music or call the pastor and ask him or her to pray. Finally, we commit to attending church more often. All great ideas, but why not just pray? Could it be that sometimes, perhaps even oftentimes, God chooses to act in a way that is contrary to our fleshly desires? He doesn’t follow the instructions we’ve outlined in our “prayer requests.” So, given our “we—know—best” attitude, we start to take a different route. We may, or may not, recite the cursory, obligatory prayer while we plot and manipulate a way to get the answer we desire without the Lord’s help. A “prayerless” Christian is a powerless and shallow Christian. He or she is an easy target for the author of confusion, as well as for false teachings. We need to learn to pray effectively. What’s on your heart today? Set aside some time to pray according to God’s Word. Thank Him for the circumstances you’re facing; ask for His will to be done without setting a single parameter. Five minutes later, when you find yourself “working it out” in your own mind—pray again. And then again. Trust Him with the outcome, even when you don’t understand.