The Purpose of Prayer in the Christian Life

God tells us to pray (Phil. 4:6; Col. 4:22; 1Thess. 5:17), and Jesus makes a promise, “Ask and it shall he given you…” He promises that He will hear, and answer, the prayers of His people (Matt. 7:7; James 5:16; 1 Peter 3:12). All genuine believers believe in the power of prayer, but prayer will not set aside the laws of God. Not in the physical realm, nor in the spiritual. When Miriam sinned against God, all the prayers of her brothers, Moses and Aaron, could not set aside God’s law that she remain outside the camp for seven days (Num. 12). Paul prayed to the Lord to remove his “thorn in the flesh,” but the answer was “NO” (2 Cor. 12:8-10). Sometimes God answers our prayers in this way, because He knows what is the best for us. When sickness and death come, when troubles and trials beset us,…