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Since God who loves us knows what we need even before we ask Him, wouldn't He automatically give us whatever we need (Mt.6:8)? Then why do we have to pray? Using a similar logic, some people are saying that since the death of Jesus has already paid for all our future sins, we don't have to confess our sins every time! These are single track trains of thought that do not take many other factors into consideration. Real life involves many different factors in many dimensions. We cannot have a balanced understanding of life unless we bring all such factors into consideration. That would involve bringing all the truths in the different parts of the Bible together and not leaning entirely on some verses here and there.

After promising the people of Israel the coming of the new covenant, God said that He would wait for Israel to ask Him to do it for them (Ez.36:37). It was when the children of Israel who had been made slaves in Egypt started crying out for help that God sent Moses to deliver them (Ex.2:23,24). Why would God wait like that?

First of all, we need to come to the place of recognising and acknowledging our need. It is not easy at all to get to that place. We may first try all kinds of ways to manage things by ourselves before we come to see that we need God to help us. So, God waits for us to ask for help before He gives help. As you know, no one can really help those who don't want any help.

Secondly, prayer to God indicates our trust in Him. People who accuse others of having no faith when they do not receive what they have asked of God are totally mistaken, because it is because they have faith that they ask. Those who don't have faith in God will not pray, but will keep on doing everything they can, or keep looking to people for help.

Thirdly, we must not forget the fact that God does not like to violate the free will He has created us with. When we pray to God in our need, that is like inviting Him to intervene in our life and giving Him 'permission' to do so.

When we pray out of our recognition of our utter need for help and our dependence on God, that is when God is in a position to help. But then, if we know God for who He is, we must also be willing for Him to answer our prayers in ways He sees best. He sees the big picture, the entire picture, and knows what is good for us especially in view of eternity. He wants most of all to transform us into the character of His Son and prepare us for eternity. We should remember that many times this can be accomplished only through suffering here on earth. God does not like to see us suffer, but sometimes, just as a painful surgery is what is required to heal a patient, He allows us to go through temporary pain in order to give us an eternal bliss (2Co.4:17). Sometimes He does not give us what we ask for because He knows we have asked in ignorance, not knowing that it is not good for us.

The humbler we become and the better we know our Father, the more we will pray.

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