Chris Ramey
Guest columnist

Odds are you’ve wondered at one point what prayer is really about. Personally, I’ve been praying for something for a long time. After not hearing an answer for what feels like forever, I’ve caught myself wondering, “Why am I doing this?”

The truth is, prayer is about more than just a shopping list. God just wants to talk. He died to have a personal relationship with you and me—to know us intimately. He didn’t do it to be a magic genie or a gumball machine that spits out what we want whenever we pray.

The Bible has many verses that give us hope in God’s provision and that He answers prayer. But sometimes I get so caught up in those promises I forget He’s a personal, perfect God, with a perfect reason for why He hasn’t answered. Sometimes I just need to recognize that He is God. His ways are higher than our ways and we will not always understand them. It can be a challenge when things don’t go the way we hoped, but we need to fall back on the promise that God is faithful and He is good.

In those moments I’ve forgotten that God already answered my greatest need.

I get impatient when I don’t hear back. Sometimes I yell, mope, or disobey, but none of that’s new to God—David did it and so did many others. God loves us anyway, and while He disciplines those He loves, He still wants to talk. That becomes obvious when you read how much time Jesus spent talking with prostitutes and tax collectors.

The truth is, we are all sinners, but God loves us all the same. It’s amazing and beautiful how He uses our imperfection to show His perfection. It’s His strength in our weakness.

Matthew 6:33 challenges us to “seek first His kingdom and His righteousness and all these things will be added to you.” The point is to seek Him. Get to know Him. Trust Him. Talk to Him.

Sometimes I get so focused on having my request to Christ answered that (sadly) when I don’t hear back my attitude becomes, “Well, if He’s not going to give me what I want, why bother praying?” In those moments I’ve forgotten that God already answered my greatest need. He forgave my sins and enabled me to pray, to know and love Him.

The amazing thing is that God, the God who knows you better than anyone, wants to talk to you.

God is not slow to answer prayer. His timing is perfect. He knows what we need. And He knows what we want—good or bad. What kind of dad would He be if He gave us what we asked, knowing we are not ready? Or if it would hurt us? Or distract us from Him? He wouldn’t be the perfect God we know and love. He wouldn’t be the God we need Him to be in our moments of weakness. Any dad knows that sometimes the right thing to tell your kid is “wait” or “no”. Our God understands this even better.

So why pray? What is the point of prayer? The amazing thing is that God, the God who knows you better than anyone, wants to talk to you.

God designed our lives to be in relationship with Him. Just like any relationship, part of those conversations involve asking for stuff. But the point of any relationship is to become closer. So, in prayer, I think the verse about seeking His kingdom serves as a reminder that prayer is about relationship. The provision that follows is a loving bonus.