Why Pray?

During World War II, a soldier was caught creeping back to his quarters from some nearby woods. Brought before his commanding officer and charged with communicating with the enemy, he said he’d just gone out to pray. The CO growled, “Do you make a habit of spending hours alone in prayer?” “Yes Sir,” he replied. “Then down on your knees and pray now,” roared the officer, “for you’ve never needed more!” The soldier kneeled and poured out his heart in prayer so powerfully that his CO shouted, “Enough, you can go! I believe you! If you hadn’t been at drill so often, you couldn’t have done so well at review.”

Prayer isn’t like a spare tyre; you can’t just leave it in your trunk and expect it to be effective when you need to use it. God’s Word says, “Be “persistent whether the time is favourable or not.” In fact, Paul writes, “Never stop praying” (Romans 12:12 CEV). In other words, “Live with a prayerful attitude, stay in contact with God at all times.”

Prayer changes things when nothing else will! In 1620 it guided the Mayflower pilgrims to a new world. In 1623 it saved them from starvation. In 1857 it saved America from economic disaster. During WW II it saved Britain at Dunkirk. Thousands of fliers and service men lost at sea have been saved through prayer.

Why pray? Because prayer puts the situation into God’s hands; otherwise it remains in ours – not a very comforting thought. Furthermore, prayer changes us; in prayer we become like the company we keep.