Livin Lively

Secret Message
Why pray to a God who knows everything?
by Peggy Lively 

Yesterday my five year old little girl, Carrie, was sitting at the table coloring with some crayons. She looked up at me and asked, “Mommy, how do you spell, ‘I am going to hug you?’” So I spent several minutes spelling out the words for her: “I … a … m … g…” After I completed spelling the words, she came up to me full of excitement and handed me a piece of paper saying, “I have a secret message for you!” I read my “secret” message, and she proceeded to give me a big hug. 

As I treasured this little expression of love, I began to think about my Heavenly Father. Did I know what Carrie’s message was going to say? Of course I did – I even had to help her write it. Did that take away from the heartfelt meaning of those words and action? Absolutely not! In his omniscience, our Heavenly Father also knows what we are going        to say to him even before we say it. The Bible tells us, “Your Father knows what you need before you ask him” (Matthew 6:8). I have heard many people cite this verse and ask the questions, “So why pray if he already knows? Why does he need to hear from me if he already knows everything?” The truth is, not only does he know what we are going to ask, but he also has to help us say it through the power of his Holy Spirit. “In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groans that words cannot express. And he who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints in accordance with God’s will” (Romans 8:26-27). Does this make our prayers unimportant or insignificant to God? I think not. I treasure my “secret message” scribbled in blue crayon. I have placed it on my bathroom mirror where I can see it every day and be reminded of Carrie’s sweet spirit and her love for me. I believe our prayers are just as valuable to God. When Jesus reinstates Peter after his denial, Jesus asks him three times, “Do you love me?” The first two times Peter responds, “Yes, Lord, you know that I love you.” The third time Peter says, “Lord, you know all things; you know that I love you” (John 21:15-17). Just because he already knows, doesn’t mean he doesn’t want to hear it from his children.

I believe that my prayers, already known by God and helped along by the power of his Holy Spirit, have a special place in his heart. Don’t hesitate to pray to your Father; he longs for us to express ourselves to him. Our relationship with him is built and our love is strengthened through our communication with him.