Is Prayer Really That Important?

You might often hear that prayer is a powerful tool and essential to your walk with Christ, but why? You’ve made it this far without prayer being a daily habit, so why start now…

Have you ever been through a phase in your life where God feels distant but you’re not really sure why? Me too. It usually happens when I become so caught up in something that I forget anything else is going on around me. To be honest, this happened to me with my blog.

Blogging is a passion for me. It’s funny, I never knew I had a passion or calling in life (other than Jesus) until I start this little blog. It began when I started substitute teaching, but didn’t have a job every single day. I wanted to start a blog so I could write on days I didn’t have a teaching job. My passion for blogging quickly grew, and before I knew it, I was working on this little corner of the web every spare minute I had.

I’d wake up before the sun rose, send my husband off to work, and instead of crawling back into bed I’d start working on my blog until he got home at 5pm. On days I taught, during every special class when the kids were with another teacher, I was working on my blog. When I got home, I’d quickly make dinner only to hop back onto my computer again. My eyes would burn from staring at a screen for hours on end, but I didn’t care because I LOVED what I was doing. I was passionate about encouraging women to live a life of worth and value through their faith and a healthy lifestyle.

My passion for blogging is a good thing. I believe God has given me a desire to write since I was a young girl, and I truly love writing for others’ benefit. BUT, a good thing doesn’t always stay a good thing when it is gone about the wrong way. Over time, I stopped communicating with God and started doing things on my own. I’d skip my morning devotions to get started on my blog, I wasn’t praying for God to give me the words to say to encourage others, and I wasn’t praying for the women who my posts would be reaching. I became a one woman show and my blog took full priority in my life.

It didn’t take long for me to realize how ineffective this was. I felt burnt out. Exhausted. Frustrated. And I thought I didn’t know why… until I realized I had been telling God “I’ve got this and I don’t need You”. It’s not that I purposely wanted to push God away or didn’t love Him anymore. I just became selfish. My #1 passion became my blog and that’s what took priority.

So how could I have avoided this? Through prayer. When we become disconnected from God, we become selfish. The devil can get ahold of us and influence us where he knows we are weak. Without God, a good thing can turn rotten if we decide to take matters into our own hands.

So let’s go back to our original questions, “Is prayer important?” and “Why should I start praying now if I haven’t made it a habit before?”

In a short answer, YES. Prayer is absolutely important and it is never to late so start praying. Here’s why:

Prayer is used to enhance your relationship with Jesus. Can you still have faith in God and be saved without daily prayer? Absolutely. But the fruit of your relationship with God will grow substantially more when you are in communication with Him through prayer. When we are not in communication with God, we are taking matters into our own hands and relying on our selves, which never ends well.

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Let’s take a look at 6 core reasons it’s important to pray so we don’t become disconnected from God.

1. When You Become Disconnected From God, You Become Reliant On Yourself

2. When You Become Disconnected From God, Your Own Plans Take Priority

“This is what the Lord says: ‘Cursed is the one who trusts in man, who draws strength from mere flesh and whose heart turns away from the Lord. That person will be like a bush in the wastelands; they will not see prosperity when it comes. They will dwell in the parched places of the desert,in a salt land where no one lives. But blessed is the one who trusts in the Lord, whose confidence is in him. They will be like a tree planted by the water that sends out its roots by the stream. It does not fear when heat comes; its leaves are always green. It has no worries in a year of drought and never fails to bear fruit.'” -Jeremiah 17:5-9

3. When You Become Disconnected From God, You Conform More To The World and Become Less Like Jesus.

“Whoever trusts in his own mind is a fool, but he who walks in wisdom will be delivered.” -Proverbs 28:26

“My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever.” -Psalm 73:26

4. When You Become Disconnected From God, You Lose Sight Of How Powerful And Mighty God Is

But Jesus looked at them and said, “With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.” -Matthew 19:26

“Be still, and know that I am God. I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth!” -Psalm 46:10

5. When You Become Disconnected From God, You Begin To Lose Your Faith

“And the ones on the rock are those who, when they hear the word, receive it with joy. But these have no root; they believe for a while, and in time of testing fall away.” -Luke 8:13

6. When You Become Disconnected From God, Satan Can Use Your Weakness As A Stronghold To Tempt You Where He Knows You Are Most Likely To Fail.

“Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour.” -1 Peter 5:8

“Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil.” -Ephesians 6:11

To Sum It Up…

Prayer is important for every single follower of Christ because it’s one vital way we grow in our faith and strengthen our relationship with Jesus. Without prayer, we are taking matters into our own hands, and become a “one-woman show”. When we are not in communication with God, we are vulnerable, ill-equipped, and weak. When we are in communication with God, we become more like Him, we are on the same page with His will for our life, and we are strengthened by His power.

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Because who doesn’t love being curled up on the couch with a steamy cup of coffee and a cute journal when spending time with Jesus?

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