Why Pray if God Already Knows?

Key Verse: Matthew 6:8 – “Your Father knows what you need before you ask Him.”

Introduction: The Big Question

• If God already knows, why pray? Isn’t it pointless—or just making wishes?
• Believers and skeptics wrestle with this.
• Promise: Today we’ll see what prayer really is—and why it always matters.

Point 1: Prayer Is About Relationship, Not Information

• Matthew 6:8 – God knows before we ask.
• Prayer isn’t data—it’s intimacy.
• Illustration: A child asking Dad for help—relationship, not ignorance.
• Philippians 4:6 – Make your requests known because He is your Father.

Point 2: Prayer Changes Us Before It Changes Circumstances

• Philippians 4:6–7 – Peace comes before circumstances shift.
• Prayer tunes us to God’s will, like an instrument to a tuning fork.
• God may not calm the storm, but He calms His child in it.

Point 3: Prayer Is One of God’s Chosen Means

• God ordains both ends and means.
• James 5:16 – “The prayer of a righteous person has great power.”
• Exodus 32 – Moses interceded; God relented. His plan included Moses’ prayer.
• Our prayers are part of His design, not wasted words.

Point 4: Prayer Is Not a Genie Wish List

• Matthew 6:10 – “Your will be done,” not “my will.”
• James 4:3 – Wrong motives block prayer.
• Matthew 6:11 – Daily bread, not greed—dependence, not indulgence.
• God is Father, not a vending machine.

Point 5: What About Conflicts in Prayer?

• Two people praying for the same job, two teams for victory.
• Proverbs 16:9 – God directs the steps.
• Psalm 84:11 – God withholds no good thing.
• Sometimes “no” or “wait” is protection or preparation.

Point 6: How to Pray (The Lord’s Prayer as a Framework)

1. Our Father in heaven, hallowed be Your name – Worship and reverence.
2. Your kingdom come, Your will be done – Surrender before requests.
3. Give us this day our daily bread – Dependence for today’s needs (Philippians 4:19).
4. Forgive us our debts… – Confession and forgiving others (1 John 1:9).
5. Lead us not into temptation… – Ask for protection (Ephesians 6:11).

• The Lord’s Prayer is a model, not a chant.
• Isaiah 55:8–9 – God’s answers (yes, no, wait) are always right.

Point 7: Prayer Brings Unity and Power

• Galatians 6:2 – Bear one another’s burdens.
• James 5:16 – Pray for one another.
• Prayer chains and prayer warriors aren’t to persuade God, but to unite His people.
• Collective prayer strengthens faith and lifts the weary.
• Example: The friends who carried the paralyzed man (Mark 2).

Conclusion: The Simple Answer

So why pray if God already knows?

1. Because prayer is relationship.
2. Because prayer changes us.
3. Because prayer is God’s chosen way to work.
4. Because prayer unites believers in faith.

Final Illustration: A father could provide without being asked, but he waits for his child to ask so the child learns dependence, trust, and love. Prayer does the same with our Heavenly Father.

Call to Response

• Strong believer: Don’t treat prayer as routine—see it as partnership with God’s plan.
• New believer: Don’t overcomplicate it—just talk to your Father, He delights in hearing you.
• Doubter/seeker: Don’t test prayer like a genie—taste and see that God is good in relationship, not just results.

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