Because prayer is the only way we can talk to God – to express thankfulness as well as ask for His guidance and forgiveness for wrongdoing. Prayer also helps us feel closer to Him. But with this important privilege comes responsibility. When you pray, remember you are talking to God, who created the entire universe. Be humble, and as you close your eyes, try to envision being in God’s presence, high in the heavens.

If you aren’t sure what to say, start by telling Him how thankful you are for His many blessings – your life, home, food, or even a beautiful, sunny day. Or, when you realize you said or did something that wasn’t nice, tell God how sorry you feel and ask Him to forgive you. He realizes we’re all imperfect and make mistakes. He provides our forgiveness through his Son Jesus who died for our sins.

It’s not appropriate to pray for money or more “things,” or even for a good grade on a test. Instead, we should pray for His perfect will to be done – which will bless us and all people in the long run – and for help in overcoming our weaknesses so we can be more like Jesus.

James (5:16 NASB) teaches us to “…pray for one another…the effective prayer of a righteous man can accomplish much.”  We should pray for those in need of strength or courage if they’re going through a difficult experience. Thinking about others increases our compassion and sympathy.

The wonderful thing about prayer is that it can be done at any time, anywhere. We can pray alone or with others. We can pray out loud or silently in our hearts. Unlike us, God is always awake. He can hear prayers all over the world because He understands every language on earth and no one is hidden from Him.

There’s also no limit as to how many times a day we can talk to God. 1 Thessalonians (5:17 NLT) says to “Never stop praying!” Jesus found strength and comfort in praying to God, so of course we want to copy his example. Even if our schedules are busy, we should still make time for regular prayer, such as in the morning when we wake up, before meals, before bedtime, and any time in between when we want to thank God for a blessing or ask for guidance.

So, why is prayer important? Because this is the proper way to communicate with God and feel closer to Him. Praying and always ending with, “In Jesus’ name, Amen,” is the best way to stay connected to God in order to build and strengthen our relationship with Him. 

This video is from Christian Questions Podcast. For more information please go to https://christianquestions.com