Why don’t we pray?  There’s a question to induce guilt in most Christians!  If you’re anything like me, you are plagued by a constant, nagging sense of failure in the praying department, and although you want to pray more, you never quite seem to manage it.

Just to make things worse, here’s a paraphrase from Calvin’s Institutes:

Not bothering to come to God (who is good and kind, and is delighted when we come to him) to ask him for help and bring our needs to him, is crazy!  It’s like knowing that there is a treasure chest buried in your garden and not bothering to dig it up!

So prayer is something to treasure and enjoy…really?

If we think of it as an activity or routine, it’s not that appealing, but if we lift our focus from the activity to the one who we are praying to, then it becomes much more exciting!

‘Which of you, if your son asks for bread, will give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a snake? If you, then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him!’ (Matthew 7:9-11)

Because Jesus died and rose for us, we are God’s children!  He loves us, and loves to give good things to us.  He wants us to come and speak to him because in speaking to him we exercise our dependence on him, and we learn what a generous, trustworthy God he is.

Prayer is not an activity to be done; it’s an expression of our faith and dependence in our Heavenly Father.  It’s how we relate to God.
Jez Lowries