Thesis 51: The primary purpose of prayer is not to get answers but to know Jesus.
Think for a minute about one of your best friends. That should be a pleasant assignment! Let your mind go back to the last time you were together. What did you talk about? What did you do?
How did you spend the time?
Now consider two things. First, how much of your time together did you spend asking your friend’s forgiveness? And how much of your time together did you spend in asking for favors?
Do you sometimes need to ask forgiveness of a good friend? Sure. Do you ever ask your friends for favors? Sure you do. But if that were the entire basis of the relationship, it wouldn’t last very long, would it?
God invites us to make friends with Him. Jesus said in John 15:14, 15:
“Ye are my friends. . . . Henceforth I call you not servants; for the servant knoweth not what his lord doeth: but I have called you friends.”
Steps to Christ, page 93, says,
“Prayer is the opening of the heart to God as to a friend.”
God is good at giving and forgiving. He has invited us to ask. He delights to give.
“It is a part of God’s plan to grant us, in answer to the prayer of faith, that which He would not bestow did we not thus ask.” – The Great Controversy, p. 525.
God is not pushy, even with His blessings. He has filled His Word with promises to encourage us in coming to Him. By waiting for us to ask for His promised blessings, He is honoring our power of choice.
But we have sometimes become so involved with asking and receiving that we have forgotten how much more is available.
God wants more than simply to supply our needs. He wants our love.
He has given us
“exceeding great and precious promises,” (2 Peter 1:4)
but He has never given us the assurance that every promise in the Bible is for us, at this time, and under these circumstances. The promises for spiritual blessing we can always claim. It is always His will to forgive our sin, to give us power for obedience and power for working in His service. But when it comes to the promise of temporal blessings–even life itself–we must submit our will to His will and accept His choice for us.
The Bible contains promises both for deliverance and for the strength to be faithful unto death. It’s God’s department to decide which gift is appropriate for each need. Does this mean that we shouldn’t even ask for temporal blessings? No, it is always right to ask.
God has asked us to ask! Right in the middle of the Lord’s prayer is a request for a temporal blessing,
“Give us this day our daily bread.”
“In teaching us to ask every day for what we need–both temporal and spiritual blessings–God has a purpose to accomplish for our good. He would have us realize our dependence upon His constant care, for He is seeking to draw us into communion with Himself.” – Thoughts From the Mount of Blessing, p. 113.
Notice why He invites us to ask, instead of just giving us the spiritual and temporal blessings we need without our asking. It is to teach us dependence upon Him and to bring us into communion with Him.
God is not the kind of friend who talks only about His own interests. He invites us to come and talk to Him about what is on our minds. He wants to hear about what we’re thinking and feeling. He wants to share with us our joys and sorrows.
Sometimes people ask, “Doesn’t God already know all about us?” Of course He does! But even in human relationships, talking just for the sake of talking is important. Even on a human level, information is not nearly so important as the communication that happens when people share.
Suppose you have a close friend who gets some good news. Maybe you read about his good news in the paper, and since you know him and know something about his dreams and goals and personality, you say to yourself, “My friend will be really happy.”
Then suppose he calls you on the phone and says, “Guess what!”
“No need to talk about it, my friend, I already know. I saw it in the paper, and I know you’re excited. So much for that. Now let’s talk about something else.” Is that how you respond?
No, you listen to him tell it. You share his excitement with him. You are honored that he came to share this with you, for it is a statement of love and friendship.
God has all the information He needs. It’s the fellowship with those He loves that is lacking. That’s why He has invited us to share our lives with Him.