Why Prayer Matters: Discover the Power of Connecting with God Daily

Why Pray?

If you picked up a new book your friends all love and recommend, would you skip to the last page, read just that, and be satisfied? What if you sat down to watch the new movie that seems to have captured everyone's attention? Would you fast forward to the end, watch just the final minute, and call it a day? Probably not! Without the context, connections, and buildup gathered along the way, the impact would be lost, right? You can't appreciate the ending unless you've been engaged in the story all along the way. The beauty of the Christian life is that we get to experience the fullness of God along the way. Then, the end of our earthly life culminates in spending forever with the One we've pursued our whole life. If you choose not to engage with God in prayer all along the way, you miss out on the extraordinary gift of walking in His power here and now. You can know God personally and hear from Him now. You don't have to wait for the future—you can have that today.

This passage comes from the first of three consecutive psalms where David went to the tabernacle—the dwelling place of God among His people—to know God and hear from Him in prayer. When people were making unjust accusations against him, David invited God to examine every area of his life. He understood that God's judgment of him was the only judgment that mattered. That understanding prompted him to take spiritual inventory under the all-knowing power of God and in the light of His presence and commands.

• How do David's words here challenge you?

• How does it make you feel to invite God to test and try you and to examine your heart and mind?

• What is wonderful about it?

• What are some signs that a person is spiritually teachable?

Continue examining today's passage, Psalm 26:2-3, by using the HEAR method.

This is an excerpt from The Practice of Prayer by Robbyand Kandi Gallaty.