Why Do We Pray?

Basics of the Faith

by Stanley D. Gale

We all have questions about prayer. Why pray if God already knows what's going to happen? Can prayer change the mind of God? Does it actually affect anything? What is the purpose of prayer? There is only one wise source to answer our we need to hear from God himself. Only through him and his Word can we have a grounded, balanced, and broad understanding of prayer. This booklet presents an overview of what Scripture says, defining prayer, exploring its roles, and teaching us how to practice it.

Basics of the Faith booklets introduce readers to basic Reformed doctrine and practice. On issues of church government and practice they reflect that framework--otherwise they are suitable for all church situations.

Genres: Theology, Prayer

32 pages, Paperback

First published May 25, 2012

About the author

Stanley D. Gale serves as senior minister of the Reformed Presbyterian Church in West Chester, Pennsylvania. He has authored a number of works on spiritual warfare, including Warfare Witness: Contending with Spiritual Opposition in Everyday Evangelism.

Reviews

[Landon Coleman · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a great, little booklet on prayer. Gale wrestles with some of the most difficult questions about why we should pray and how prayer actually works. He also offers a helpful, two-part definition for prayer. We will use this resource with our men at church for an upcoming study on prayer.

[Wade · Rating 5 out of 5]

Gale explains that “prayer is God’s means for God’s ends.” A simple, but profound, definition. God accomplishes his set plans and purposes through the prayers of his people. This is an excellent, biblical introduction to prayer.

[Dan Glover · Rating 4 out of 5]

This little booklet is an excellent introduction to the Bible's teaching and the Christian practice of prayer. Embarassingly, this little booklet has more about prayer in it than most of the reformed and evangelical systematic theology volumes I have. Along with discussing the Bible's direct teaching on prayer as well as the examples of prayer we see in Scripture, the author lays out an overall understanding of what prayer is in its various facets. He also effectively and faithfully answers many common questions believers have about prayer such as the one in the title of this review: "If God knows everything and knows what I need and what I am going to ask, why pray." This and more questions are answered in this easy to read and very well articulated booklet. This is by no means a thorough treatment of the subject due to the series constraints but it is much meatier than most intros and can be read in an hour. I'd love to see the author expand this volume into a more thorough treatment. In the mean time, I highly recommend it.

[Mark A Powell · Rating 3 out of 5]

Prayer has been a much-discussed subject for thousands of years and in just as many books. Gale’s effort here is not to definitively answer all such discussions but to highlight (in brief fashion) the function and role of prayer in the Christian’s life. Within the constraints of this booklet, Gale magnifies the purpose of prayer and the place that God designed it to have. This introductory resource is easy to use and a good starting point.

[Brian · Rating 4 out of 5]

All of it was good but the section on how our prayers work in concert with God's decrees was especially helpful.