I was recently asked why we should pray when God already knows everything, including our desires and needs. In response, I asked this person to imagine having a best friend they did not talk to, listen to, spend time with, confide in, or seek help and wisdom from because they already knew her so well. Would that person truly be her best friend? I also asked how her best friend would feel if she neglected them and their relationship because her bestie already knew “the real her.”
As born-again believers, Jesus is more than our best friend. He is the Lord of our lives! But if we never talk to Him (i.e., pray), listen to Him (i.e., read His Written Word, the Bible), spend time in His presence (i.e., attend Church, fellowship with other believers, etc.), or share our hearts, needs, and desires with Him just because He knows everything, is He really our best friend?
It is clear from Scripture that Jesus knows us better than we know ourselves and that He knows everything that can be known overall. However, having a personal relationship with Jesus needs to involve prayer (among other things) because it is a primary way for us to connect with Him relationally. There are many other reasons why we should pray, and I have listed some of them below:
We pray because Scripture commands it.
(Matthew 5:44, Matthew 6:5-13, Romans 12:10-12, Ephesians 6:18)
We pray to confess our sins and receive God's forgiveness.
(1 John 1:9-10, 2 Chronicles 7:14)
We pray for Jesus to meet our needs.
(Philippians 4:6, Matthew 7:7-8)
We pray to obtain God’s wisdom and direction.
(James 1:5, 2 Chronicles 1:10-12)
We pray to resist temptation.
(Matthew 6:7)
We pray to receive God’s comfort and healing.
(James 5:13-15)
We pray to submit and align our will with God’s.
(1 John 5:14-15)
If you encounter believers who question the need for (or the importance of) prayer when Jesus already knows everything, I hope you refer to this article for practical information to share with them.
