Why Christians Believe in Prayer
68click images to enlarge
Introduction
The world has billions of people, many religions and many forms of prayer. The focus of this hub is not broad and wide. It makes no attempt to be all-inclusive. It has a narrow focus and a single, simple purpose.This hub brings together the basic bible verses about Christian prayer.
What is Christian Prayer?
(Hebrews 11:6)
Christian prayer begins with FAITH... that God exists and rewards those who pray.
What if my home catches fire? If I live far from any nearby town or city, there may be no fire department to call. Who will help me? Who will save my home and family from the fire?
What if I don't believe there is a fire department in my area but I am wrong. There is a fire station nearby. The fire department is ready to help me. But I don't call for help because I don't know they are there.
God is ready to help us. But first, we must know He is there.
What is Faith?
(Hebrews 11:1)
Faith is simply taking God at His word.
What if my neighbor tells me about the nearby fire station but I don't believe him? If I don't believe then I won't call them.
What if a local fireman stopped by but I didn't believe they served my area? If I don't believe then I won't call.
Faith is simple. I believe that God is nearby. I believe I can call on Him for help.
Where does Faith come from?
(Romans 10:17)
Faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the Word of God.
My faith in the fire department should have started when my neighbor told me about them. But I doubted my neighbor and my house burned down.
When a fireman came to my house I refused to believe him either; so the fire burned up all my personal property.
Doubt is not believing what the neighbor or the fireman say. Faith is simple. Faith hears and faith believes.
What is the Word of God?
(Acts 10:36-43)
The word of God is: the preaching of Jesus Christ; the work of the Father and the Holy Spirit; the gospel; the testimony of the witnesses of Jesus Christ; the power of God; the witness of all the old testament prophets.
Some people refuse to trust the neighbor or the fireman. They refuse to believe about the fire station.
What if three hundred neighbors wrote me letters and said there is a fire station nearby and I still did not believe it?
What if the local newspaper printed it but I still refused to believe it?
What if the President of the United States came to my house but I would not believe him either?
The word of God is the witness of ordinary people, like my neighbors. It is the collected word we find in the Bible. And it is the spoken words of God's own Son.
Why must Christians pray?
(1 Tim. 2:8) God commands it.
"I will therefore that men pray everywhere, lifting up holy hands, without wrath and doubting."
Children will complain about being made to eat their vegetables. They may grow angry or frustrated about it. But their complaints will not change the truth. Vegetables are good for you.
Prayer is good for us. Some will complain about it. Others will doubt it. Still others will even grow angry about it. But the truth is not changed. Prayer is good for us.
Summary
Christians believe that God is. They trust Him and His Word. Christian faith comes by hearing God's Word. Christians pray because God commands it.
God is nearby. We can trust Him to hear us and to help us. Others have listened and believed. We need to only trust in their witness to know that God is good and He is willing to bless us. He says that He will reward our faith.
I believe Him.
If you enjoyed this Hub...I hope you will vote it up...and share it with whomever you think best.
Thank you for caring about HubPages and our community.
Going Deeper
- The Key to Effective Prayer
Completely bible-based, this sermon outline teaches the child of God about prayer. - Paul's Prayer For the Ephesians
A wonderful commentary from Ephesians on the wonders and the beauties of prayer. Follow the apostle's thoughts from blessing to blessing. Learn to see prayer as this apostle did. - Devote Yourselves to Prayer
Devotional advice and some fine sermons about prayer.
Hi Dave:
God is in control. I like to remember that. He will deal with judging and punishing.
There is a time for judgment. But it is not yet time.
Now is the time of compassion, the time for mercy. When this time ends it will be the terrible day of judgment.
Our work is to do the Father's will...while there is still time to do good, to forgive, to heal, to pray..we need to do God's loving will.
May God give us wisdom to know His will and to do it.
Hi carmenph:
"Looking at it (prayer) through a child's eyes makes all the difference in the world...and in heaven."
As adults we sometimes may make the things of faith more complicated than they truly are.
When Jesus sat a little child on His lap and said we must receive the things of God like a little child...there is a deep, yet simple, truth here.
God's ways are deeper than our ways. They are often beyond us to understand. We accomplish God's will, showing love, being loving and merciful, not by our wisdom...but in the simple love...of a child who trusts.
Hi Hello, hello:
Thanks for your heart-felt sharing. I appreciated your very honest thoughts.
--"I pray or talk to him all the time"..."people are sympathetic and wish they could help but they can't really."
My wife and I live with another Christian couple from our church. He's a deacon and his wife, Janice, has recently come home after several months in intensive care and then a rehabilitation center.
God spared her life but she has severe handicaps and pain. She's confined to a wheelchair. She can no longer work and the doctor's say it is doubtful she will ever walk again.
We love Janice, but none of us can change her health.
Her health is in God's hands. But all the rest of Janice's needs are in our hands. We, the one's who love Janice, are God's hands in those things we are ABLE to do.
We are able to make her smile and laugh...able to make a meal, a bed...empty a bedpan. We are able, most of the time, to overlook her bad days, her complaints, her faults. She seems to do that pretty well with us too.
People, Christian people and others...they are the visible hands of God. Yes, we are limited. And we make mistakes. We get cranky, feel used up, out of sorts. That's part of being human I suppose. But God can do all manner of things using tired, cranky people..who are willing to serve. Some of that service seems to change us. Somehow God widens our hearts, making room where there was none.
It doesn't make us good...but we are surely improved by the stresses and strains of confronting our own weakness. Sometimes it's not much more than the ability to see..I failed to be loving. Maybe that's a good thing too.
Hi RedElf:
I love the kitten in your avatar, by the way.
It pictures for me the struggling, wiggling nature of play as all living things grow.
Thank you for sharing this loving, playful side of living
--and for stopping by today!
Hello heart4theword:
I like the way you put that...
"Prayer, is such a beautiful form of communication.."
It is like the beauty of a little child..touching her Mother's face. In prayer we reach out... toward God's face. He smiles upon our hands in prayer. He blesses our upward glance. Like a loving Mother, He meets so many of our needs.
We are like children, unaware of the many ways Mother blesses and provides for us. To children, Mother's ways are beyond our understanding. Children have no cares about mortgages, shopping for groceries or getting repairs done. To a child, the concerns of the day are simple. What do I need; what do I want?
A Mother's thoughts are higher than this. Often, Mother must say no to her own desires...in order to meet the needs and desires of her children.
Part of Mother's work is to train her children...to be willing, as she does, to see the needs of others as more important than their own needs.
This is training in godliness.
Hub Crater, True faith is a person's ability to believe that God is God and is in control of all.
Brother Dave.
I have read quiet a few books about prayer but none as simple yet as effective as what you have written here. The analogy with the firemen is wonderful and I can easily use this with the kids that I volunteer to teach on Sundays. Thank you for creating such memorable work. The topic of prayer seems straight-forward and yet many of us cannot or do not do it as often as we can. Looking at it through a child's eyes makes all the difference in the world...and in heaven.
Thank you for a wonderfully written hub. I pray or talk to him all the time. He most properly have aearaches but it gives so much comfort because let's face it, if you really a serious problem nobody can take it away from you or help you. Although people are sympathetic and wish they could help but they can't really.
Thanks so much for sharing this with us!
Prayer, is such a beautiful form of communication with God:)
Liked the way, you formatted this page. Good Job!
Squirrelchaser 20 months ago
Nice blog!