The Purpose of Prayer – Part II

In yesterday’s devotion we saw that the primary purpose of prayer is to glorify God. In today’s devotion I would like to explore two more aspects of prayer.

The elements of prayer (1)

Many Christians believe that asking God for things is what prayer is all about. While it is true that prayer has this element in it, prayer is so much more than just asking for our needs to be met. Some of the elements of prayer include:

Adoration and praise: When we come to God we should want to spend time just adoring Him for who He is and praising Him for everything He does. Praise is one of the best ways to glorify God for we read in (Psalm 50:23): “Whoever offers praise glorifies Me.”

Thanksgiving: It goes without saying that we should always be thankful to God for the myriad of blessings He bestows on us. Not only that but it is God’s will for us to always be thankful for we read: “In everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.” (1 Thessalonians 5:18).

Reverence: When we read: “Our Father in heaven, Hallowed be Your name,” this implies having a sense of God’s holiness and a reverential awe of just who He is. John MacArthur, in referring to King David, shares the following: “You find this in many of David’s prayers, that before he can ever come to the place of request, he affirms the nature, and the character, and the majesty, and the holiness of God.”1

Confession of sin: It is so important to confess our sins to God and ask for forgiveness. (1 John 1:9) tells us: “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” When we confess our sins we open up a wonderful channel to be heard by God.

An unselfish desire to please God: We should always pray for God’s will to be done and for his purposes to be accomplished among His people.

Petition: We clearly have needs and God wants us to come to Him telling Him what we need personally as well as the needs of our friends, family, and even strangers.

Perseverance: We must continually come to God in prayer – don’t give up!

These elements should form the backbone of our prayer life and the more we incorporate all of them the sweeter will our communion with the Lord become. But don’t forget the overarching purpose of prayer is to put God’s glory on display for all the world to see. We see this clearly in (John 14:13): “And whatever you ask in My name, that I will do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son.”

The P’s of prayer (2)

I love how John MacArthur frames the Lord’s Prayer with the letter “P.” He shares:

“Our Father who art in heaven,” that’s God’s paternity.  “Hallowed be thy name,” that’s God’s priority.  “Thy kingdom come,” that’s God’s program.  “Thy will be done,” that’s God’s purpose.  “Give us this day our daily bread,” that’s God’s provision.  And, “forgive us our debts,” that’s God’s pardon.  “And lead us not into temptation,” that’s God’s protection.  And, “thine is the kingdom, the power, and the glory forever,” that’s God’s preeminence.  And all prayer, Jesus is saying, is not to stand in the streets, and the corners of the streets to pray to be heard by men, to get glory for yourself, but all prayer is by absolute contrast to bring glory to God.”2 

Again, in closing, John MacArthur sums up the Lord’s Prayer perfectly when he shares: “And that’s the affirmation of the disciples’ prayer.  That’s the way we want to look at it.  It begins with, “Our Father who art in heaven,” adoring God.  It ends with, “For thine is the kingdom, the power, the glory forever,” adoring God again.  In the middle, everything in it is about God.”3

---

1 The Purpose of Prayer (gty.org)

2 The Purpose of Prayer (gty.org)

3 The Purpose of Prayer (gty.org)