Biblical Answer

The Question: What's the point of praying when it doesn't help?

The question of why prayer doesn't seem to help is a common one, and it can be a source of frustration and disillusionment for many Christians. However, the Bible teaches us that prayer is not just about getting answers from God, but about having a deep and intimate relationship with Him. The Bible says, "We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us through wordless groans" (Romans 8:26). This means that even when we don't feel like our prayers are being answered, the Holy Spirit is still working on our behalf, interceding for us and guiding us towards God's will.

In fact, the Bible teaches us that prayer is not just about getting what we want, but about aligning ourselves with God's holy will. Prayer can be a means of discerning God's will, and sometimes it requires us to be still and listen to Him. The Bible says, "Be still before the Lord and wait patiently for him" (Psalm 37:7). This means that we shouldn't be deterred from prayer just because we don't see immediate results. Instead, we should continue to pray, trusting that God is working behind the scenes to bring about His good plans for our lives.

The key to understanding the point of prayer is to shift our focus from getting answers from God to having a deep and intimate relationship with Him. When we pray, we are not just asking God to do something for us, but we are also seeking to know Him more deeply and to align ourselves with His will. This is the true purpose of prayer, and it is a purpose that is fulfilled whether or not we see immediate results. As the Bible says, "The Lord is near to the brokenhearted and saves the crushed in spirit" (Psalm 34:18). This means that even when we don't feel like our prayers are being answered, God is still near to us, working on our behalf and guiding us towards His good plans for our lives.