In teaching about prayer, Jesus taught to avoid using “meaningless repetitions.” He explained that using “many words” does not mean that God is going to hear us any better (Matthew 6:7).
Jesus went on to explain one reason why repeating the same words over and over is meaningless: “Your Father knows what you need before you ask Him” (Matthew 6:8).
We do not pray for God’s benefit. God does not need for us to pray so that we might inform Him of what we need. He already knows. So why did Jesus go on to give an example of a prayer and include in it a request for things we need – “Give us this day our daily bread” (Matthew 6:11)?
One of the benefits of prayer, as God designed it, is that by praying for certain things we are reminded of our reliance upon God. God knows we need to eat to survive. Yet Jesus told us to pray for our daily bread anyway. We also know that we must work in order to have the daily bread that we need (2 Thessalonians 3:10). But God is the one who has made it possible for us to do this. By His providence, He has provided in His creation an environment where we can work and receive the daily provisions we need.
All things that are possible are possible because of God – whether we are talking about obtaining what we need to live, health being restored to those who are sick, forgiveness for our sins, etc. When we pray, we cannot help but recognize our reliance upon God. We would be hopelessly lost and destitute without Him.
When we offer “prayer and supplication” to God, we must be sure we do so “with thanksgiving” (Philippians 4:6). God knows what we need before we ask, and He has seen fit to make provisions for us before we could even think to ask. Continue in prayer and do not take for granted the abundant blessings we have from God.
