Why Do We Pray?
A Word of Benefit
Why Do We Pray?¹
We do not pray in obedience to a command or in the performance of a duty. No; prayer is an expression of the love that is in the human heart toward God. The righteous person loves God, and out of his love for Him he rejoices to speak with Him… just as there is between you and a dear friend a relationship of affection. You speak with him and talk to him about any subject; the important thing is that you speak with him, and that is enough.
David the Prophet, the man of prayer well known, is a practical example of the prayer of love. He says to the Lord: “As the deer longs for the streams of water, so my soul longs for You, O God,” “My soul thirsts for You,” “My soul has clung after You,” “When shall I come and appear before God” (Ps. 62, Ps. 5, Ps. 42)… He loves God and longs for Him… therefore he prays.
If we do not pray, it is because we do not feel this love toward God. And while prayer may seem heavy to us, we can at the same time stand with our friends for hours talking and not grow weary… because there is love between us and them.
Prayer, then, is love, and it is a bond with God, as is evident from its name. It is an attachment to the Lord; it is the lifting up of the heart and the mind to God.
There are people who do not pray except to ask God for something. If there is nothing to ask for, they refrain from prayer, as though personal benefit were the motive for this bond with God! These are reproved by Saint Basil when he says: “When you stand to pray, do not begin your prayer with asking, lest it be thought that were it not for asking, you would not be praying”… Trust that all your needs will come to you without your asking… and let your prayer be not a request but love…
Christ our God, when He used to pray, what was He asking for? He would spend the whole night in prayer, and He was in need of nothing, for everything is in His hands. Is He not the One who said: “All that the Father has is Mine”? His prayer, then, was love; it was an expression of the love between Him and the Father.
And when a person loves God, he loves His Kingdom, and he seeks first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness (Matt. 6:33). With these requests the Lord’s Prayer begins: “Hallowed be Your Name, Your Kingdom come, Your will be done,” “Give us today our bread for tomorrow.” The heavenly bread, for our eternal future, the spiritual bread, Your Body and Your Blood—give us today. It is a petition founded on love. Give us, O Lord, Yourself, for by You we are nourished; give us Your sweet word, for we live by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God.
As for you, my brother, if you have not yet reached the prayer that is all love, then ask God for what you want. Be frank with God. Open your heart to Him and speak to Him of all that is in it… And if this love is not in you, pray that the Lord may give it to you. Say to Him continually, “Grant me, O Lord, that I may love You.”
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A Word of Benefit by His Holiness Pope Shenouda III – published in Al-Keraza Magazine, Fifth Year – Issue Five, 2-11-1974.
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