What’s the Point of Prayer Anyway?
But when ye pray, use not vain repetitions, as the heathen do: for they think that they shall be heard for their much speaking. Be not ye therefore like unto them: for your Father knoweth what things ye have need of, before ye ask him (Matthew 6:7-8 KJV) .
In my previous post to this blog, How I Got a Miracle House, I’ve dealt with my childish misunderstanding of prayer and my errant use of Christ’s name. Both misapprehensions came from my not knowing about the sovereignty of God. Because many Christians lack this knowledge, they stray into many harmful beliefs.
One question which comes up often is why bother praying if the Lord already knows what we need.
Prayer isn’t some magic incantation but
our dialogue with our heavenly Father.
As a loving father, he wouldn’t give us what would maliciously hurt us. Whatever happens to us is filtered through his permissive will. The first chapter of Job is a good example of how Satan can’t do anything unless God lets him do it. At the end, Job had twice as many cattle and other things. He also had another family on earth as well as those waiting for him in heaven.
The Lord demonstrated his sovereign power to me by granting my prayer for a quiet location in which to write. I moved from place to place in Edmonton but every new apartment, condo, or house I moved to had disagreeable neighbours. I finally concluded that relocating to a small town might be better.
In the spring of 2000, I received a lump sum payout from the federal government. As a clerical worker, the Public Servants Alliance of Canada claimed that people in my category weren’t paid the same as other government employees. The Treasury Board awarded us with the accumulated back pay after they lost their court case against the PSAC.
As I toured house after house in small communities, I prayed that I would find a place with no nearby neighbours and within walking distance of a town. When I found my current home, I realized the Lord let it stand empty so that I could occupy it right away. Moreover, the hamlet had a grocery store and other amenities that were within walking distance of my house.
I used most of the money from the government to put a down payment on my new home and to install a septic field. My gift from God has been paid off for seven years and my hope is that I can live here for the rest of my life. It’s like a permanent writing retreat.
Bruce Atchison
Bruce is a legally-blind freelance writer. His articles have appeared in a variety of magazines and newsletters. Additionally, he is VP of Communication for the Athabasca-Sturgeon-Redwater constituency association of the Wildrose Party. Atchison is also the author of three memoirs. He lives in a tiny prairie hamlet with his two house rabbits. See him at his blog (WordPress) blog (Blogspot), Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, and Virtual Bookworm.
