I was recently asked "Why pray?". It did not take me long to come up with an analogy.
Let’s say you know everything about your best friend, wouldn’t you still want to talk to them? Relate to them? Have a relationship? Rather than just kind of watch them? I kind of think of prayer that way. God knows everything, but that doesn’t mean much. He wants to relate with us on a deeper level than just knowing stuff about us. A reaction, feelings, emotions. Not just facts. Not just observed stuff. Real relationship.
I tend to learn a lot about other people by observing them or hearing about them through other people. I never feel really connected to them, because I never took the time to know them in a more personal way. I don't want to just observe God or those who know Him either. I want a real relationship there. He does too. That's how I view the "Why pray?" question. Stumbler upon of this post, what do you think?
I really love this analogy. We talk about it all the time, having the kind of God as father relationship, instead of God as distant intangible figure. Great explanation. Isn't it wonderful when people ask you questions that make you really dig for a personal answer, not just a scripted one?
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ReplyDeleteI've really been having to sharpen my answer to basic questions like this while teaching religious classes to Cub Scouts. It's amazing how tough it is to make a simple, satisfying answer to a complex question like this. Good job!