Right motives. The reason we pray is much more important than the words we say. The motive is the why behind the what. And having a pure heart that loves God and loves people is always acceptable to Him. On the other hand, selfishness is unacceptable, revenge is unacceptable, manipulation and control are unacceptable, jealousy is unacceptable, pride is unacceptable, and praying to win the lottery is unacceptable. In fact, anything that’s selfishly based is an unacceptable motive.

Somebody once asked a little boy if he said his prayers every night. He thought about it for a second and replied, ‘No, some nights I don’t need anything.’ Does that sound familiar at all? The first and most important reason for prayer is to develop an intimate relationship with God. Think about it: how much would a friendship grow if you only spoke to your friend when you needed something? Probably not very much. And the same principle applies to prayer.

Jesus said, ‘If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, you will ask what you desire, and it shall be done for you’ (John 15:7 NKJV). When we focus on ‘abiding’ in Christ, we’ll get a response to our ‘asking’. James wrote, ‘Your prayers are not answered, because you pray just for selfish reasons.’ The truth is, we’re all naturally self-centred. That’s why we need to purify our hearts on a regular basis – and means having a check-up of our motives for praying. It might be difficult, or even painful at first, but it’s so worthwhile in growing our prayer life and relationship with God.

What Now?

Do you sometimes forget to pray because there's nothing you need? Have a praise session instead!