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Have you stopped praying because it feels like your prayers are pointless? The Bible teaches us to pray about everything, even if it seems pointless. Ephesians 6:18 says, “And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests.”
What does it mean to pray
- On all occasions
This simply means it is appropriate to pray about every occasion in our lives. From the smallest incidents to the traumatic occurrences, pray on all occasions. My friend, Fran, first taught me this truth by the way she prayed.
I remember one specific time when she lost the diamond in her wedding ring. She immediately began to pray about it, and of course, she began a desperate search for her diamond. A couple of days later, she decided to search her car. Now, how likely would it be that a small diamond could be found in a car—even if indeed that was where it was? But she prayed that God would help her find that diamond, and you guessed it—tucked in one of the car seats there it was. Fran prayed on all occasions about everything, even when it seemed pointless, even when it’s not a life and death issue, even when it’s a small thing like a diamond.
And then, this verse says we are to pray
- With all kinds of prayers and requests
God invites us to petition him—to make our requests known to him. James said you have not because you ask not. Intercession is praying for others, and this is certainly one of the most important kinds of prayer we should pray. Corporate prayer is another form of prayer—praying with others. Urgent cries for help, insignificant requests for God’s favor, praying for the salvation of people who seem totally closed to the Gospel—there are many kinds of prayers and requests, and even if they seem pointless, we should pray for them because there are no pointless prayers.