1 September 2023 at 00:00:00 JST
Sometimes children ask: “Why do we have to pray? God knows everything, doesn’t He?”
First of all, prayer is an opportunity to express our gratitude. And because we are so grateful to our heavenly Father for everything that He has given us, we feel the need to tell Him.
When we pray, we also express our respect, our fear of God. We are aware that we need Him and that without Him we are nothing and have nothing.
In our prayers we also express our trust in God: “Lord, I trust You. I can tell You everything. I trust in Your power. You can help, You can do it.”
And prayer is an expression of our love for God. This is how we talk to Him. We feel a need to talk to Him because we love Him.
When we intercede in prayer for our neighbour, it is an expression of our love for our neighbour. Of course, God does not need our prayer to know what our neighbour needs. But we must express our love for our neighbour, which is why we pray for him or her.
From a divine service by the Chief Apostle
