I will lift up mine eyes unto the hills,
from whence cometh my help.
My help cometh from the LORD,
which made heaven and earth.
Psalm 121:1-2 KJV
Why does God tell us to pray? Doesn’t He already know what we want and what we need? Yes, of course. God doesn’t need us to tell Him anything. Yet He wants us to pray and even commands that we pray. Why? Because He knows how much we gain when we reach out to Him and ask. Praying humbles us and reminds us from whence cometh our help (Psalm 121:1).
Furthermore prayer allows us in on the conversation. God speaks to us through His word. As King of the universe, He could leave it there. He doesn’t have to listen to our response. But He does. He invites it. He isn’t just our King. He is our Father; and two-way communication is one of the most basic parts of a relationship.
Why does God command us to labor in His vineyard? Why are we to serve the poor and teach the gospel to the lost and visit the sick and so forth? God doesn’t need us to accomplish those ends. If that is His will, it would be done much more efficiently and effectively if He did it Himself. We can take food to the sick, administer medicine, and a few of us have even been trained to diagnosis and repair many of the ills of the human body. But God can heal. Jesus healed more than could be counted or told while here on earth. Why doesn’t God just do the work Himself? For Him it wouldn’t even BE work.
I suppose it must be the same reason a mother allows her four-year-old to help wash dishes or vacuum the rug or fold the laundry. A child isn’t going to do a good job with any of those tasks, but he or she will learn from the experience.
Think what an exciting honor it would be if a famous singer asked you to come up on stage and sing a few bars with him in front of the concert audience. God asks us to participate in the work of His kingdom, but not just for a few minutes so we can have a story to tell our friends. God calls us into His work as children to the family business. Again, He doesn’t need our help; He is operating from a place of relationship.
And finally, why does God ask us to worship Him? He is all-glorious regardless. Everything in creation praises Him just by its existence. Our worship is a conscious choice, so yes, that pleases Him, but again, the benefit is to us as we are drawn through worship into closer relationship with Him.
God doesn’t need me to worship. I need to worship.
God doesn’t need me to work for Him or serve Him. I need to work and serve.
God doesn’t need me to pray. I need to pray.
God doesn’t command us to do things as a power trip. He doesn’t delegate because He’s lazy. He doesn’t require anything of us for His own benefit. And the truth is, He doesn’t need us for anything. The things that God tells us to do are the things that He knows WE NEED. And they are the things that will secure and enrich our relationship with Him, which is what we need more than anything else.
Since we respected our earthly fathers who disciplined us, shouldn’t we submit even more to the discipline of the Father of our spirits, and live forever? …God’s discipline is always good for us, so that we might share in his holiness. Hebrews 12:9-10 NLT
Your heavenly Father already knows all your needs. Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously, and he will give you everything you need. Matthew 6:32b-33 NLT
So let us pray; let us serve; let us worship! We should feel honored to do these things as God’s children.
Behold what manner of love the Father has bestowed on us, that we should be called children of God! 1 John 3:1
by Christie Cole Atkins
Dear Father in heaven, we humbly thank You for Your love which draws us into relationship with You. You loved us first, even when we were sinners, and everything You have done is for our benefit and not Yours. We have nothing to offer You that You need, but we pray that You will be able to take joy in our obedient response to Your love. In Jesus’s name, Amen.
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