In my last post, Wendy Wallace from One Exceptional Life shared with us 8 Keys to Spiritual Growth. One of those keys is prayer. Prayer is absolutely essential to your spiritual growth, and here are 3 reasons why.
3 Reasons Prayer is Essential for Your Spiritual Growth:
- Prayer Grows your Christ-likeness.
- Prayer Grows your Connection with God.
- Prayer Grows your Confidence in God.
Why do we need to pray?
You may be thinking that God knows everything, so why do we need to pray? Well, you’re right, God is omniscient, but we should pray because He tells us to. The scriptures are full of commands to pray, for example:
- Jeremiah 29:12 KJV ~ Then shall ye call upon me, and ye shall go and pray unto me, and I will hearken unto you.
- Mark 14:38 KJV ~ Watch ye and pray, lest ye enter into temptation. The spirit truly is ready, but the flesh is weak.
- Luke 18:1 KJV ~ And he spake a parable unto them to this end, that men ought always to pray, and not to faint;
- Colossians 4:2 KJV ~ Continue in prayer, and watch in the same with thanksgiving;
- 1Thessalonians 5:17 KJV ~ Pray without ceasing.
- 1Peter 4:7 KJV ~ But the end of all things is at hand: be ye therefore sober, and watch unto prayer.
Despite what we may or may not understand about prayer, God has deliberately chosen this particular vehicle as the one that drives His activity in people’s lives. It’s what He allows us to use to cooperate and partner with Him in the fulfilling of His will. He’s created prayer as a primary way of putting us into personal contact with Him and with His eternal realities, any hour of the day or night. ~ Priscilla Shirer
1. Prayer grows your Christ-likeness
From the moment of salvation, the Lord begins the process of sanctification. He molds us, shapes us, and conforms us to Christ-likeness.
Jesus was a humble, obedient servant. (Philippians 2:5-11) To grow in Christ-likeness is to grow in humility, and prayer is essential to developing that humility in our lives.
Pride says “I got this, I don’t need help.”, but humility says “I can’t do this, help me, Lord.”
Humility- coming before God with a proper understanding of His greatness- is the key to improving one’s prayer life and developing a deeper, more intimate relationship with God. ~ Francis Chan
Obedient like Jesus
Jesus came not to do his own will, but the will of the Father. (John 6:38) Jesus always did what pleased the Lord. (John 8:29)
Prayer reveals God’s will and gives us the grace to obey it. When we lay down our will, even when it’s hard, and even when it hurts, that’s Christ-likeness.
Luke 22:41-42 KJV ~ And he was withdrawn from them about a stone’s cast, and kneeled down, and prayed, Saying, Father, if thou be willing, remove this cup from me: nevertheless not my will, but thine, be done.
Love like Jesus
Spiritual maturity means we’re growing in character, faith, love, and wisdom. We grow in Christ-likeness as we look to the Lord, learn from Him, and lean on Him.
In the sermon on the mount (Matthew 5:44), Jesus said we should:
- love our enemies
- bless those that curse us
- do good to those that hate us
- pray for those that despitefully use us and persecute us
Loving like Jesus is a supernatural work of the Holy Spirit of God that is activated by prayer. The more we pray for someone, the more our heart softens toward them. We replace bitterness with forgiveness when we pray for our enemies.
Prayer is the best response to hatred. ~ Charles Spurgeon
2. Prayer grows your connection with God
Prayer is sweet communion with our loving Father, who delights to hear our voice. God is waiting expectantly for us to turn to Him and talk to Him about our issues. The more we converse with Him, the closer to Him we become, and the stronger our relationship with God will be.
When we pray, we relinquish control and approach God as His child, in need of guidance from our perfect Heavenly Father. Prayer teaches us to let go of the reins and let God lead our lives.
Prayer ushers us from self-sufficiency to God dependency. Click To Tweet
Jesus depended on the Father
Jesus gives us the perfect example of how to live a life dependent on the Father. He continually looked to Him for help in all things, and so should we.
Mark 1:35 KJV ~ And in the morning, rising up a great while before day, he went out, and departed into a solitary place, and there prayed.
Luke 5:16 KJV ~ And he withdrew himself into the wilderness, and prayed.
There’s even a whole chapter in the Bible that records Jesus’ prayer to the Father right before he is arrested in the garden of Gethsemane. (John 17)
The more time we spend in prayer, the less time we waste in fruitless efforts to fix everyone and everything. Click To Tweet
3. Prayer grows your confidence in God
I have stacks of notebooks full of proof that there is a God in Heaven, and He sees, hears, knows, and is able to do all things!
I like to keep prayer journals so I can look back later and see the answered prayers. This practice helps to grow my faith because I know God has done it before, and I believe He’ll do it again!
Prayer grows your confidence in God and His word, as you cast your cares upon Him, believing the scriptures that say He cares for you (1Peter 5:7) and will supply your every need (Philippians 4:19). God’s word is true and He can be trusted!
When we don’t pray about something, we’re sending God the message that we don’t trust Him to handle it. But our faith pleases God when we seek the Lord’s will and ways through prayer (Hebrews 11:6).
Executing the Essentials
Prayer is essential to our spiritual growth, because it develops Christ-likeness, builds our connection with God, and expands our confidence in God. So if we want to be mature believers who bring God glory, then we must be women of prayer. Not to get our way, or to change God’s mind, but to line up our heart, mind, and will with His.
If you would like to grow in your prayer life, then check out Pray with Confidence. It’s a website for helping women overcome prayer obstacles, and I am one of the regular contributors. Here are some links I think will be a blessing to you:
When Your Prayer for Pain Relief Goes Unanswered
19 Bible Verses that Reveal the Will of God
Check out the prayer resources, Bible verses, and tough questions tabs. There are many great options to boost your spiritual growth!
More Articles about Prayer or Spiritual Growth:
The Importance of Intercessory Prayer
The Secret to Living the Abundant Life
My Top 10 Resources for Spiritual Growth
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I was thrilled when you said that prayer helps us to become like Jesus and accept the will of the father.
I agree prayer is essential! Thank you for sharing such a rich post expressing why prayer is essential. I am so glad you shared it with us at Grace & Truth Link-up. Maree
Thank you Maree!