Blog: Why should we pray?
"For he will command his angels concerning you to guard you in all your ways; they will lift you up in their hands, so that you will not strike your foot against a stone." (Ps. 91:11–12).
"Remember to pray and go to services." My grandmother Valma often spoke these words when one of us was leaving. The words have remained permanently in my memory and still come into my mind now and then.
People have been praying at all times, and for many of them prayer is an essential part of life. In the course of history, under various threats, such as wars, pandemics, and emergencies, people in our country have been praying for God’s help and protection. They have known God’s protection as a solid source of security and trust.
The first prayer for many people is the evening prayer they learnt to say at bedtime as children. God encourages people to pray in the midst of their worries and difficulties and to rely on His word.
I recently had a discussion with a friend that powerfully reminded me of praying. That friend’s family had experienced illness, worries, and fatigue. But under such anxieties she had also experienced the wonderful care of the Heavenly Father, for which she was grateful.
In prayer we can approach God with our own needs using the words of a familiar prayer or by freely talking to God. We can pray alone, together with someone, or jointly with the congregation at church or at services.
A prayer on behalf of someone else is called an intercessory prayer. We often hear such prayers at Summer Services. When, at times of worries and hardships, someone says, ”I will remember you in prayer”, those words seem really comforting, especially if we ourselves find it overwhelmingly hard to pray.
"Dear Heavenly Father, keep me and my dear ones believing and guide those who have strayed back on to the road of life.” Many people say this heartfelt prayer when a friend or a dear one has encountered difficulties in life. We want to pray that God would help those in difficulties and would protect them in personal faith when they experience the pull of the world and become weary in faith.
It is human to feel at difficult times that there is no way to get help. We may also feel that God does not even hear our prayers. Under a burden of worries we may grow weary both physically and spiritually and lose sight of the prospects ahead of us. At such times, however, we may suddenly find ourselves carried by intercessory prayers and surrounded by God’s blessings. I was recently told this by a family who had lost a family member.
In the uncertain times that we are living, many people want to rely on God and to pray for His protection. Even people who do not usually pray may have joined their hands in prayer, asking for God’ help. The difficulties caused by the pandemic have been allowed by God to happen, just as He allows things to happen in each person’s life.
Like children, we can trust in God’s care and protection and believe that even the weakest travelers are being carried by many intercessory prayers. The Heavenly Father has promised to hear our prayers and to help in good time. We would do well to share the burdens of our neighbors with problems: ”Carry each other’s burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ.” (Gal. 6:2).
Text: Vaula Eskeli
Translation: Sirkka-Liisa Leinonen
Jeesus sanoi opetuslapsille: ”Kaikki kansat kootaan hänen eteensä, ja hän erottaa ihmiset toisistaan, niin kuin paimen erottaa lampaat vuohista.” Matt. 25:32
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