Is prayer for us or for God?

From IrishCalvinist.com

Can I just say ‘yes’? Is it too easy to say both?

I think that the ‘apparent’ tension is helpful.

As Christians we understand that everything we do is to have the ultimate goal of the glory of God (1 Cor. 10.31). So in glorifying God in prayer we must remember that the glory we give God is not somehow lacking in his essential character and nature. Theologians distinguish between the intrinsic glory and ascribed glory of God. Intrinsic glory is that glory which God has in himself. He is infinitely glorious and no amount of time or human sin can diminish this glory. On the other hand ascribed glory is that glory which his creation is to give to him. We are to agree with God in who he is and to respond appropriately in ascribing glory and praise to him.

So in a very real sense prayer is for God. When we pray we express dependence upon a sovereign God to act in our lives and the lives of others. We also ascribe glory to his character and name, remembering who he is and what he does. So yes, when believers pray we pray for the ascribed glory of God.

On the other hand prayer is for us. I think this happens on two primary levels.

First, we pray for ourselves and for others with the expectation that God will act on our behalf. We believe that God is sovereign enough and good enough to bend his ear to hear and work in our lives.

Secondly, our prayers actually work on our own hearts. When we ascribe glory to God we remind our forgetful hearts as to what kind of God we actually we are talking to; we remember his character, his abilities, and his will. This has a marvelously transforming effect on our own hearts that forget these things. When we pray we express dependence upon God, this forces our hearts that are inclined towards self-worship and pride to be brought low to the reality of dependence and the need for humility. It is common to think and live unbiblically (sinfully) and to have poor theology in our minds, however, when in prayer it is much more difficult. Prayer screams dependence into our ears and hearts, and it changes how we think and act.

I love thinking about prayer like a spiritual cardio workout. When we pray we are massaging our hearts with the pressure of God’s eternal perfections and subsequently producing in us the enduring praise to the glory of his grace. Prayer both prepares and sustains affections. In preparing our hearts it works to mold our imperfections closer to the perfect image of Christ and in sustaining it ignites within us an enduring passionate appreciation and pursuit of the glory of God.

One of my favorite examples of this is the 5^th Psalm. David prays for God to stoop and listen (v.1), and then he reminds himself of God’s supremacy (v.2), and his need to make prayer a morning priority and then to have his heart inclined to look for God’s faithfulness that day (v.3). David goes on to pray to God and recount the attributes and testimonies of God (vv.4 & ff.). We should not assume that David is attempting to inform God of something he does not know, but rather ascribing glory to God and reinforming his own heart of these things, even cultivating his heart to love and depend upon God.

Similarly, the model prayer in Matthew 6 is another great example of how we are to pray and how this prayer is for both God and us. Read through this prayer and see the commitment to the glory and exaltation of God while also the obvious heart molding petitions that are to characterize the lives of believers.

In closing, it is good and healthy to remember that we do not pray because God needs us to but rather because we need us to! The best way to calibrate our hearts with the will of God is to ascribe glory to God through our humble, joyful, loving dependence upon the God of heaven who does indeed hear our prayers through Christ.