This Is WhySampel

WHY SHOULD I PRAY? Usually this question is followed by the phrase, "because God never answers my prayers anyways." Let's be real for a minute - most if not all of us have prayed at one point in our life. The question is, was He our foe, our fireman, or our Father? When you talk to a foe, all you do is complain about what they've done to you. When you talk to a fireman, aside from knowing one personally, you're probably crying out for help because you're surrounded by chaos and trouble. When you ask your Father for something, if you've had a loving Father figure, you know that you can ask for anything. Does that mean we can't bring our complaints to God - no. Does that mean we can't cry out to Him for help - no. But it does mean that prayer doesn't end there. Prayer is a conversation that includes all the good and all the bad parts of life. But just like a Father who sees their son/daughter caring for others, God delights when He sees us begin to focus our efforts and prayers on those around us. Prayer is certainly a personal thing, but when we see Jesus pray, He's often praying for those around Him. How often do we take our eyes off of ourselves and ask God to help our friends and family to have their hearts softened, meet Him, have their lives changed, have comfort during a difficult situation, or have peace when everything is going wrong? Prayer is so important because as sons and daughters of God, we have His ear - we have such influence over the world as we see it. But be careful - when we begin to ask God to do things in our world, rather than snap His fingers and fix everything, He'll more likely equip us to do it! This is why we pray. [Illustrations included in this devotional are not visible in this view. Illustrations are only supported in the Bible App for IOS, Android, and at Bible.com]