Do we need prayer?

God created humans. He gave them life and supremacy over everything else. God owns the world and the galaxy. As if that is not enough, he requires that humans praise him. Actually, his son Jesus taught humans how to pray (Luke 11). The question is: why does God need prayer when he knows what we need? BRIGHT MHANGO takes up the question.

In 1 Chronicles 22:6, God told Solomon to build a temple for him. He is in heaven and wanted a house for humans to pray for him on earth. There was going to be bread for him daily in the temple.

This comes after the spate of sacrifices that God demanded from people.

In the days of Cain and Abel, it was customary for people then to kill and burn sacrifices to God. People were also required to pay 10 percent of their harvests to God. Today, the practice is still operational.

Why does God need things from humans? Why does he need so much praise? Why should humans fast for him to provide?

Jeremiah 1:5 says God knew us before we were formed in our womb. Why would he wait to hear from us in terms of what we need? Why can’t he just provide what we need from his knowledge of us?

Those are the sentiments one Christian posted on the Christian forum, bibleforums.org.

And to the defence of God came one Mark Edwards who said God deserves all the praise he can get.

“He requires praise because he deserves praise. He created all things: the world, and physics, and time, and the sun, and the moon, and stars, and clouds… and bugs, and beasts, and colours, and people, and life. God sustains all things; without God, nothing would exist. God punishes evil. God rewards goodness.

“I say God deserves as much praise as he desires to receive, because without him, absolutely nothing could ever exist or happen,” said Edward.

The defence for God’s need to be praised has also been well articulated by a blogger on another forum called Stand to Reason Blog.

The blogger argues that God created man for his pleasure and thus praising him gives him satisfaction.

“Praising God—acknowledging His goodness, love, perfection, and all the incredible things He has done for us—brings Him pleasure. If you have children, you know what a beautiful thing it is to have them praise you,” wrote the blogger.

Adds blogger Daria Sockey: “To praise God is to acknowledge and be in touch with reality. To be whole and sane, because we recognise what we are and what God is.  To praise is to admire and appreciate. It’s a natural response to beauty, goodness, and truth.”

As for prayer, as to why God requires prayer when he knows what man lacks, one church, the Union Church, has tackled the issue.

Apostle Paul, for example, three times in the first 10 verses of this letter told the Colossians that he is praying for them. The Union Church uses this fact to stress the need for prayer.

The church gives several reasons man needs to pray to God. It says the very fact that prayer is having an audience with God is a privilege.

“We should pray because we are in a fierce battle. Constantly, we are warned of the devil’s intention to neutralise and demoralise us. We are told that ‘our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. (Ephesians.6:10).

“We are in a battle and we need the help of God. The enemy has marshalled his armies. When we neglect prayer, we go into battle unarmed. Do you find it at all instructive that Jesus, the incarnate Son of God, found it necessary to pray? If He did not feel He could face the battle in His own strength. ..neither should we,” writes the Church.

Prophet Shepard Bushiri, in one of his Facebook messages to his followers, stressed the need for prayer.

“Prayer is a very big investment ever; you can invest it today and see its profitstomorrow. Prayer is the biggest asset and once taken care of, it gives assurance of safety,” wrote Bushiri.

The Union church also argues that prayer helps people deter sin in their lives as when praying they discover their bad ways.

The question still stands, however, why pray if God is all knowing and sovereign over everything?  He knows Sudan needs no war and Ethiopia needs food, why should these two nations pray first before he can help?

Jack Wellman, writing on the same on whatchristianswanttoknow.com took on the question.

“The short answer to this is because Jesus told us to pray.  He does not hope we will pray, nor asks that we pray, but it’s an imperative command that we’re given to pray.  Paul also commands that we pray,” wrote Wellman.