"If Jesus Knows Everything, Why Is Prayer So Important?" An article about what people sometimes ask about prayer

[mdgspencer]

If Jesus Knows Everything, Why Is Prayer So Important? | uCatholic

“Do you believe that I am able to do this?” Soon after the dramatic and very public healings of the woman with the issue of blood and Jairus’ daughter, Jesus is accosted by two hopeful blind men.

ucatholic.com

""The Lord knows what we need, yet often He wants us to articulate our need and declare our dependence on Him. It is in presenting ourselves to Him in prayer that we gain a better understanding…

 

[TheLittleLady]

If my spouse knows I live them, why is telling them so important?

 

[JanR]

Of course, Jesus knows everything, and we needn’t explain anything to God. That’s not the point. God give us autonomy. We’re free to turn to him or not. If we wish to, or need to share our hearts with him, that’s what prayer is for. It’s communication, it’s sharing, it’s asking for help when we need it, it’s trusting God and engaging him in our lives.

Suppose you were faced with the task of lifting a 100-pound bag of cement, and you’re only 100 pounds yourself, and there’s no way you can lift that bag. But you NEED to lift it. Wouldn’t you ask a friend for help?

Same thing with prayer. You’re burdened with something you can’t handle on your own and you need help from someone far more capable than you are to handle the situation righteously. Of course, God knows all about your burden before you mention it to him – but he won’t interfere with your freedom. You need to ask him for help, and then you’re including him in the process.

Sometimes, we are so awed and inspired by the greatness of God, we just want to tell him so. That’s also prayer. A prayer of praise.

And, sometimes, we very sorry about something we’ve done and we need to express our regret and ask for forgiveness. That’s also prayer. And it’s another area in which we find we need help, and ask for it.

There are lots of reasons to pray. Telling God what he already knows isn’t an insult. It’s an honor, because we’re acknowledging his omnipotence, and giving him credit for it. And, sometimes, we need to clarify things in our own minds, and explaining our situation to God helps us with that.

 

[tomo_pomo]

that view comes from thinking that God is demanding instead of Loving

 

[TheLittleLady]

I always knew for certain that my husband loved me, and he absolutely knew I loved him. It would be sad if spouses did not know with certainty

The answer I would give to that question is me expressing my love to my husband has an effect on me, and we pray because prayer changes us.

 

[JanR]

In what way is it thinking God is demanding instead of loving? He honors our free will, and in no way forces us to pray to him. We do it out of our need, and he lovingly listens and receives our prayers. And when we praise him, we do so because we are so awed and inspired by his greatness – he doesn’t demand that we shower him with kudos. God isn’t egotistical.

Explaining our problems or situations to God, even though it isn’t necessary, shows that we wish to place our well-being in His loving hands by communicating to him as we would a friend. That we wish to communicate with God honors him. We can pray without telling him what the trouble is, but sometimes it helps us bring clarity to our own thoughts.