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BIBLE INSIGHTS

WHY PRAY?

(The Purpose of Prayer)

ANSWER: Thanks for the question. It's a good one. And it certainly has practical relevance in our lives.

Yes, God is what theologians call omniscient, meaning He possesses all knowledge. He not only knows all about the past, but all about the future as well. "His understanding is infinite" (Ps. 147:5), meaning without limit. He says, "I am God, and there is none like Me, declaring the end from the beginning, and from ancient times things that are not yet done" (Isa. 46:9-10). "Known to God from eternity are all His works" (Acts 15:18). He is fully aware of both the physical and the spirit realm, and knows all about angels and about human beings–even what we are thinking, feeling and planning (Ps. 139:1-4; Heb. 4:13; I Jn. 3:20).

That being so, what is the point of prayer? We can't tell the Lord anything He doesn't know already–and know more accurately and fully than we do. Why bother? Here are a few reasons that come to mind:

1) We should pray because God commands us to in His Word.
Christ instructed His followers on the subject by giving them a model prayer–and He begins this by saying, "In this manner, therefore, pray [a command]" (Matt. 6:9-13). "Men always ought to pray" (Lk. 18:1). We are to "be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let [our] requests be made known to God" (Phil. 4:6). And we are to "pray without ceasing" (I Thess. 5:17). The latter verse does not mean we are to do nothing but pray, 24/7. Rather, it speaks of persistent prayer, not giving up on praying. A similar expression was used in Paul's day of a chronic cough, one that just wouldn't go away. We are to foster the consistent...

To see the full article, click on Why Pray?

MY BLOG ON HYMNS!

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But as many of you will know, a blog is especially designed to facilitate a conversation on its particular subject. Readers can easily post comments about what they see, and I'm able to reply. I hope you will take part in the discussion!

A Special Feature
There is something unique about this blog that I don't believe has ever been done before. It contains what we could call a Hymn Almanac. If you want to know what happened in the history of hymn writing on any particular day, just click on the blog and you'll see!

My hope is that the blog will add to the value of the website and this newsletter, and promote some profitable exchanges on the subject of sacred music.

What happened on this day in hymnology? To find out, click Wordwise Hymns.

OTHER ARTICLES TO CHECK OUT