Paper Example: The Purpose of Prayer

Prayer is one of the most significant things that believers should be involved in. it can be described as one of the means of communicating with a supreme being, in most instances, God. Therefore prayer is the only way to solicit favor from God, hence done in deep sincerity and humility. Prayer should be approached at a deeper meaning. It does not only constitute the aspect of closing of eyes while the hands are folded and the mouth speaking but gives the true impression of the religion part. It is essential for every person to pray regardless of the religion one is affiliated with. Although different religions have adopted unique and different ways of prayer, the majority of them have a common theme of communicating with God. As much as the religion is an important aspect in the society, religion without the practice of prayer can be rendered useless, therefore prayer is an important part of practicing religion (Bade & Cook, 2008). This paper will focus on looking at the purpose of prayer in religion, therefore illustrate the importance of prayer.

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Prayer is a sign of the divine presence hence a powerful tool in the life of the believer of any religion. As a result, prayer helps understand God's purpose over the lives of the believers. Prayer gives the ability to defeat the evil forces that may have an impact on the believer. Everyone would agree that it is through prayer that light is brought in darkness therefore the believer can access divine discernment over evil. Ephesians 6:12 says, "For 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" (McCluskey, 2015). the prayers fight against spiritual battles that wait in dim spots. The intensity of prayer is so extraordinary it has the ability to overcome the devil and his control over us. He needs to devastate us, yet God needs to carry us closer to Him. Prayer is our instrument to win that fight. Prayer invigorates us with the courage and the confidence to complete the race triumphantly. Ethics is an important aspect of every religion as it is accountable by everyone. Prayer plays an important role in preventing a person from being involved in immoral acts (Weld & Eriksen, 2007). Since prayer is a powerful divine element, it guides people to the right paths in differentiating right from wrong. The power aspect in the prayer is significant when God responds and answers the prayers.

A prayer is a communication tool with God.it is through prayer that the sinful man is connected to God. It brings life breakthroughs in people. One of the most significant parts of prayer in our life is the breakthrough that results from prayer. In some cases, people face decimating conditions and feel that there is no place to turn. It's by then that they ought to ask, in spite of the fact that there ought to have a lot of supplication heretofore, as well. Some of the time one needs a message from God and should be exclusively centered on Him to get it. It might be excruciating during the prayer and holding up process yet once you get it you will be so glad you looked for Him. While you pause, you can likewise sing commendation melodies, read the Bible, or whatever else that carries you closer to Him (Sean Morrison & Senior Associate Editor, 2015). Regardless of whether the leap forward doesn't occur that day, you will get the quality and the beauty to continue. In the end, you will get a solution to your prayer, or harmony about standing by longer. At the point when you think back over this time, you will undoubtedly consider it to be the absolute most profoundly rich a great time. This implies that it is through prayer that Christian get a breakthrough in most of the challenges that they may be facing.

Prayer is important as it is the only way that Christians can respect and honor God. Regardless of whether God doesn't reply, surly God can even now hear any person who calls on Him and that is all that matters. God would respect your regard to continue on in petition even despite the fact that there was no verbal reaction. Because there is no verbal reaction, it doesn't mean there is no physical reaction. State, for instance, a person who prays that the mother would survive a medical procedure such as operation and she does, this is a manifestation of answered prayers. At the point when you are conversing with somebody and they don't answer your moment response isn't "that was trivial" on the grounds that you realize that some piece of what you have said has still been recognized by that individual. Regardless of whether God does not hear, there are still all the incredible impacts that prayer has on a Christian.it gives believers the best opportunity to indicate and declare their faith to God. Through honoring and respecting God through the prayers, it strengthens Christians in their daily lives. Therefore, through giving the believers an opportunity to honor and respect God, it is an important aspect of the lives of the believers (Weld & Eriksen, 2007).

Prayer is significant in people's lives for the changes it impacts on our lives. Since prayer is the best way to have a relationship with God and spend time with Him God transforms the prayerful person heart o be like His. As a result, the more times a person prayers, then the more times he becomes like God. Prayer contributes to the change in lifestyle and habits. In this case, the people are compelled to live less self-centered lives as they exercise sincerity of heart and purity. Prayer is the only way that people can be changed both internally and externally. Prayer plays the role of protection to the human. It is so obvious for people always pray for their loved ones every time. Therefore is a way to express love to our close kins every time. People have a tendency to pray before any activity for protection. For instance, before starting any journey, we always pray to God to grant us journey mercy (Francis & Burton, 1994). Similarly, we always pray before eating for protection, before sleeping for good sleep and before attending to most of the risky activities. Similarly, we always pay for good health, which indicates that prayer plays a significant role in protecting the people, regardless of their religious affiliation.

Prayer is an important tool in the lives of Christians as it enables them to forgive. Individuals consistently think that it is difficult to forgive individuals who have harmed them. It isn't constantly conceivable to overlook and push forward in our lives. Prayers make individuals all the more lenient. It brings out an acknowledgment in individuals that there is no utilization in conveying forward the vengeance and sharpness towards others in your life (McMinn et al. 2008). It encourages individuals to leave they're distressed and forgive the individuals who were somewhat or entirely liable for them. Prayer enables people to forgive each other by the creation of empathy. It evokes emotions and feelings of the people, hence reduced bitterness among the people. Prayer enables people to be patient, hence they are able to take enough time to forgive others. You would agree that prayer is an effective tool for maintaining peace and unity among the people. It not only helps people forgive them but also contributes to the creation of a strong bond as the people gather to pray.

It is therefore plausible that prayer is a significant aspect of the lives of not only Christians or people in religion but also the atheist. It is important through its many purposes that bring a positive impact on the lives of people. Prayer has a lot of significance through its main purpose of communication with God (Danielou, 1996). It also creates a connection among the people as they congregate to pray, therefore prayer is an important tool of fostering love and unity among the people. The purpose of prayer illustrated indicates that prayer is important in most aspects of the lives of the people. it is therefore inevitable to live without prayer in the lives of Christians.

References

Bade, M. K., & Cook, S. W. (2008). Functions of Christian prayer in the coping process. Journal for the Scientific Study of Religion, 47(1), 123-133.

Danielou, J. (1996). Prayer: the Mission of the Church. WB Eerdmans.

Francis, L. J., & Burton, L. (1994). The influence of personal prayer on purpose in life among Catholic adolescents. Journal of Beliefs and Values, 15(2), 6-9.

McCluskey, S. C. (2015). The orientation of Christian churches. Handbook of Archaeoastronomy and Ethnoastronomy, 1703-1710.

McMinn, M. R., et al. (2008). Forgiveness and prayer.

Sean Morrison, R., & Senior Associate Editor. (2015). "We Haven't Got a Prayer"(Or Much of Anything Else for That Matter). Journal of palliative medicine, 18(5), 396-397.

Weld, C., & Eriksen, K. (2007). Christian clients' preferences regarding prayer as a counseling intervention. Journal of Psychology and Theology, 35(4), 328-341.

Weld, C., & Eriksen, K. (2007). The ethics of prayer in counseling. Counseling and Values, 51(2), 125-138.