Why do we need to pray to the Lord?

Dear Friend,

I decided to open this blog with the wish to help people strengthen their faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, to bring those to faith who haven’t yet believed, and to touch upon important topics related to Christianity and spiritual growth. Perhaps you've found my page by accident and haven’t yet come to faith; or on the contrary, you regularly visit the church, confess and take part in the Holy Eucharist every week. It is also possible that you pray at home, but don’t go to church, or maybe your soul is just starting to seek God.

One of the first topics I wanted to discuss is the frequently asked question - why do we need to pray to the Lord? We often hear people complain that they pray a lot or have prayed before, but the Lord did not give them what they asked for. Or, on the opposite, many, having never prayed before, claim that this action is useless and doesn’t lead anywhere. Others openly say that there is no God, misleading those who are just beginning to seek the Lord.

Just a few years ago, I didn’t know anything about the power of prayer and I couldn’t understand why every soul needed to pray. The very concept of unceasing prayer seemed something beyond the capabilities of a human being. Without trying to open the Holy Scriptures and delve into the Words, I couldn’t believe that with the help of prayer, a person’s soul could grow just like our body grows from the moment we come into the world. I believed that if a soul wasn’t born a Saint, then she would never be able to find God and change. But I was wrong. We should note that the Saints themselves once lived on Earth as ordinary, sinful people, and only through prayer were they able to come to faith and purify their souls.

My willingness to pray did not come at once. At first, I had to force myself to do it, which wasn’t easy, but over time it became part of my life; the part that will never leave me. What is crucial is to show God that you want to hear Him, feel Him by your side, and turn to Him not only in instances when you are unable to manage problems yourself, but always, regardless of the situation and its outcome. The very wish to communicate with God, strive to fulfil His will, and grow in your soul is what will help you discover and love the Lord. The unceasing prayer does not mean in literal terms that you cannot leave a prayer book for a second. This means that the soul must always remain with God in thoughts, remember Him, and listen to what He tells her and asks her to do through the thoughts He sends. Therefore, we pray to the Lord to feel His Love, learn to trust God fully, rely on His help, and give help to others. Our communication with the Lord through thoughts occurs precisely during or after prayer.

When a person first begins to pray, it is more difficult for them as the soul is still young, capricious, and arrogant. The fatigue and desire to stop come fast. But just as we grow in our body over the years, we must allow time to pass before we can notice our spiritual growth. However, whilst our body grows and develops itself genetically, a human's soul grows only through her faith and willingness to grow. For some, it will take a longer time to learn to listen to and hear the Lord, but by His Grace this will happen to everyone if their soul truly wants it. At times when your faith is weak, when you are tired and lose patience, pray to the Lord to grant you humility and meekness. Pray to Him to give you stamina and to strengthen your faith. Pray so that you don’t succumb to temptation and don’t lead yourself and others into sin. A human is not strong enough in spirit by nature, and even if the Lord gave them patience and humility at birth, their soul will gradually lose these gifts if she doesn’t pray. Without noticing it, the person’s soul will start listening to what society tells her to do, which often contradicts God’s will, and will be unable to overcome the temptation of irascibility, lamentation, or indifference towards others.

The first human was created by our Heavenly Father to communicate with Him. We cannot save ourselves without having the Lord in our hearts, and we will begin to stumble in darkness over our own or other people's sins, making mistakes before we even realise it. By committing one sin, we easily fall into another, which eventually leads to suffering. In the end, we can no longer understand what is good and what is bad; what is right to do and what isn’t; what is help and what is a disservice. But, if you start and do not stop praying, over time you will see that your vulnerability to temptation has diminished, that you no longer strive to be the very first and best in everything, to become the richest and most successful. You will notice that the desire to become the most beautiful in your body; or the smartest in solving physics problems on your course at university; or be the most successful employee in the office, are no longer core values. All this is vanity. In its place will come the willingness to become kinder and loving towards other people, and taking care of them the way you take care of yourself. You will see that by communicating with the Lord you will be able to make the right decisions, help yourself and others; even in the most difficult moments of life.

True happiness is born through love only. With prayer, you will find your love for God and will learn to love people. And then the Lord will reward you by fulfilling your wishes, as you will prove that you are striving to do His will.

"Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives; the one who seeks finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened." Matt. 7:7-8.

However, by the Great Grace of the Lord, we often receive His help long before we begin praying and growing in our souls. Through the Grace, He calls for us to step on the path of faith and unconditional trust in God. The Lord knocks on the door of our hearts, and we must open it, just as He opens His door for us.

It is very important that you start praying here and now, not only to feel happier on Earth but to be blessed in eternal life. "Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on Earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal, tells us the Lord, but lay up for yourselves treasures in Heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal." Matt. 6:19-21. Never forget to think about life in the long term and do not postpone your prayer. Our life on Earth is a test for us and preparation for the transition to eternal life, and we must begin preparing for it now by praying to the Lord and growing in our souls.

In my next blog posts, I will tell you about which of the prayers is the strongest, which of the Saints should we pray to, how to understand that we hear God during prayer, and why the Lord does not always answer us.

May the Grace of the Lord and Love be with you all.

A follower