God Knows and Controls Everything. Why Pray?

A  蘇穎智 Sermon Summary titled “What we must know regarding prayer.”

God knows what we want, whether we ask or don’t. If our desires align with His plans, they will happen; if not, they won’t. So why ask for anything?
 
We don’t pray to tell God things He doesn’t know. We pray to ask for wisdom, to know when and how to use what God has given us. We pray to learn about Him. And we pray to have an intimate fellowship with Him (James 1:5, Matthew 6:6).
 
Some prayers won’t be accepted, such as insincere prayers made openly to receive worldly glory. Lengthy, performative prayers, coupled with bad behavior, may even lead to punishment. In fact, purple prose and mindless repetition may indicate a lack of faith. With faith, we may only need to ask once (Matthew 6:5-8, Luke 20:47).
 
Other requests God dislikes include requests with bad motives, such as asking for things we don’t really need. Another type is requests that assume God is not in control or He is not loving. Also, requests from a clashing constantly-fighting family may encounter difficulty getting granted (Psalms 66:18; James 4:3, 1:6-7; Matthew 5:23-24; 1 Peter 3:7).
 
As to prayers that God favors, the first is humble prayers, like the tax collector’s short but desperate prayer for forgiveness, in contrast to the Pharisee’s arrogant and narcissist prayer (Luke 18:9-14).
 
God favors prayers that sincerely admit fault. God loves repentance, and He will forgive. Earnest prayers in tears lead to results.
 
Other God-favored prayers include whole-hearted requests from at least two believers, and prayers from spiritual leaders on our behalf. Opening ourselves to such leaders can be a healing process. Learn to confess sins to one another and pray for each other (Psalm 51:17, 126: 5-6; 1 john 1:9; Matthew 18:19-20; James 5:13-16).
 
God may not answer our prayers how or when we want, but we must trust His love and sovereignty. Patiently wait for Him, hold onto His words, and follow them (Jeremiah 33:3). Have confidence that whatever He gives will be better than what we ask for. He will show us great things beyond what we can imagine.
  
Summary of a sermon by 蘇穎智 titled “What we must know regarding prayer.”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3AYOMnoSqtQ
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