“Do we Have to Pray?” by Andrew J. Schatkin

“Do we Have to Pray?” by Andrew J. Schatkin

My dear friends Christians and non-Christians alike I propose to give consideration to the subject and matter of whether as Christians or any other faith paths we have to or are in fact obligated to pray. We know that Jesus gave us a model prayer and told us to pray, but it is not clear whether he said we had to and if we did not that there would be dire consequences. God did not make men and women a race of robots. He gave us freedom and free will and the option of choosing him and the joy of heaven or choosing the rebellion of Satan and his rebel race of angels. Even Satan, as a created being is allowed to roam the earth until the end of time when he will be judged and cast into and reigned in the environs of hell to suffer for eternity. And so, as always, for all his creation, god does not make us pray but tells us to do so not out of compulsion but out of love. He, so to speak, advises us to pray because he loves us and wants to share his love and his person and being with us beginning in our earthly prayers and for eternity. Prayer is our response in our love to his love and love can never be forced and so prayer is love when we approach and speak to god because he is unconditional love. If we do not pray, we suffer no consequences and no penalty and no punishment, but when we do not pray, we do not love fully and we are deprived of the chance and option of experiencing and knowing the overwhelming and great love god bears for us and in not praying we cut ourselves from that love. He loved us first and gave his life for us on the cross for which there can be no greater love and without the response of prayer we show no love for god who will give anything for a relationship with us and has done so through giving the life of his only begotten son in his suffering and tortured death on the cross. Without prayer we forfeit our relationship with god and knowing his love. And so prayer is unforced since love and any relationship are unforced. No woman can love the man that raped her and no child can love the parent who abused him or her. Prayer is and cannot be forced because love is and must be mutual and reciprocal.