So, prayer is essential, it is sincere communication with God, it has various components, and its basis is the Christian’s adoption; however, prayer is not merely a gift to be taken or left, nor is it a duty that commands ignorant obedience. Prayer has a purpose; there is a reason why it is so important.
To be more accurate, prayer has several purposes. As has been detailed, prayer is meant to be an opportunity to praise God, confess sin, thank Him for His blessings (and tests), and to petition Him with requests for ourselves and others. A Christian might also pray to examine themselves before God, advance God’s Kingdom, or promote humility in their spirit. More commonly expressed by teachers and theologians alike, prayer can be an opportunity for the child of God to submit their will to God’s. Christ, as always, is the perfect example of this.
Jesus Christ, the Son of God, just before being betrayed by Judas and consequently arrested, is in Gethsemane praying to His Father. Here, in the garden, is one of the most shocking and beautiful prayers found in the Bible; shocking, because of Christ’s bare honesty concerning what awaits Him, beautiful, because of His complete submission to the Father unto death. Jesus gives His request to the Father, openly expressing His heart before God: “My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from Me,” but in perfect submission, Jesus concludes: “…yet not as I will, but as You will.” This is one of the key purposes of prayer: for the child of God to recognize openly and honestly before the Father, “not as I will, but as You will.”
I hope that moving forward, you and I can have more purposeful prayer time. I believe that God, in His grace, will bless it.