Rev. Wito Kinyamagoha
WE SHOULD PRAY TO GOD EVERY DAY
Psalm 28:6–9 Nehemiah 1:1–11 Matthew 6:7–13
INTRODUCTION
With great humility to God who allowed this Plan to have a special day to reflect on Bible studies, especially those included in our ELCT calendar, I would like to take this opportunity to thank all my fellow servants who from the first day until one week before this week continued to be on duty in preparing us for reflection on the Word of God at very high levels. May God bless you in your service.
And with the same humility that I introduced, I would like to welcome you to today’s reflection which due to the uniqueness of the idea of this Week; in reflecting on all the studies I have found myself compelled to build reflection on the Foundation of our Lutheran Doctrine or Lutheran Theology more than any other perspective.
The most special thing is that in the cycle of meditation topics set out in the ELCT study calendar, on Sunday 10.05.2026 we have been given to meditate on the topic that says: *WE SHOULD PRAY TO GOD EVERY DAY.* You will agree with me that if this topic gets a special opportunity to penetrate our hearts and minds, it will make us understand the meaning of the life of faith more broadly, and will certainly make us see where to correct if there is a place where we are stuck. Before looking at these lessons further, let me start with the meaning of prayer in the Bible.
The Meaning of Prayer in the Bible
When the Bible, and especially the teachings of the New Testament, speaks of a person who prays, it does not mean a person who merely utters words before God. Rather, it means a person who enters into a covenantal relationship with his God. *Prayer is like a conversation between a child and his Father, and not just a report of a certain situation, but of a real revelation from within a person’s heart towards God.
From the Old Testament to the New Testament, prayer has been seen as a pillar of the lives of God’s people. Abraham prayed for Sodom. Moses prayed for the Israelites even when they angered God in the wilderness. Hannah prayed with tears until God opened her womb. Elijah prayed for it not to rain; and it stopped for three and a half years. Daniel prayed three times a day even when his enemies sought him out and prevented him from praying, he did not stop praying but prayed more. And Jesus himself, the Son of God, lived a life of prayer: early in the morning, in the evening, all night long prayer was his breath.
Lutheran doctrine teaches a very important thing here: prayer is not for the sake of obtaining salvation. Rather, salvation is *sola gratia* — grace alone — and *sola fide* — faith alone. Therefore, prayer for Lutherans is **the natural response of the redeemed heart**, and not a way to repay some debt to God. This is similar to the child who has recovered from a serious illness cannot restrain his joy. In the same way, a person who has received God’s grace can never restrain his prayer. Prayer is the fruit of faith.
Luther wrote clearly: God wants us to pray not because He needs our prayers, but because *we* need to pray. Prayer changes the prayer, not God. And it also opens the heart to receive grace that is already there.
So prayer is not just for people who are in trouble. It is not a last resort when you are left with no other choice. Prayer is **the system of believers’ lives.** It is a permanent way of cooperating with God in all circumstances.
Example of Two Types of People Regarding Prayer
If you read the Bible and observe the lives of God’s people, you will see that there are two types of people regarding prayer:
Those who pray to God only when they are in trouble
These people seek God only for needs. Their prayer begins when the problem comes and ends when the problem is dealt with. God for them is an emergency medicine, not a permanent Father. These we can say live a life of *employed* faith, engaging with God only when they have a problem.
Those who pray to God as a lifestyle
These people seek God because of the relationship that exists. They pray when they have needs and they pray when they are safe. They pray morning and evening. They pray before decisions and after victories. For these, God is not an emergency physician but an everyday Father. Prayer for them is like a *respiratory system*, not an emergency. Our topic today draws us from the first group to the second. And the Gospel says: the door is open; not because you deserve it, but because Christ is the way.
Why do many believers give up on prayer? Because;
👉 They seek quick answers rather than the God of answers; lacking the patience for long prayers.
👉 They have made prayer a routine without spiritual burden; so they pray with their lips but their hearts are far away.
👉 They give up when answers are delayed because they do not know the difference between a God who does not answer and a God who answers in his time. But the Gospel says: Return. The door is open
First Reading: PSALM 28:6–9
David, the author of many Psalms, was a man who had experienced many things: wars, persecution, betrayal, and even his own sin. He fled in the wilderness. He slept in caves. He was almost killed many times. It was in such circumstances that many of the Psalms were born — not in comfort, but in great burden. In Psalm 28, David ends his burden before God with words of heartfelt gratitude: “Blessed be the Lord, for he has heard the voice of my supplications.” (v. 6)
The interesting word here is not *pray* but *voice.* David did not pray in theological language. He prayed in a real voice from his pain, his fear, his shame. And God heard that real voice. Lutheran theology teaches that even prayers that express unutterable expectations in our tongues are heard by God because the Holy Spirit prays for us when our words fail (Romans 8:26).
In this passage we see three important things:
Prayer is heard: One of the greatest temptations to keep us from praying is the secret belief that perhaps God does not listen or does not have time for our concerns. David directly contradicts this belief by affirming that God hears the voice of our supplications. This means that our prayers are not words that end in vain.
Prayer brings new strength: The Lord is my strength and my shield; “My heart trusts in him, and I am helped.” (v. 7) Praying is not about running away from our weakness but about receiving strength from the Almighty. David came out of prayer stronger than he had come in. This is the secret that Nehemiah, Paul, Moses, and Jesus himself knew. Prayer leaves us stronger than we were before we prayed. And more than that: faith is what opens the door so that we can receive what God already desires to give us. Prayer without faith is just a cry. Prayer with faith is a conversation. Prayer connects a person to God’s care: David concludes by seeing God as the shepherd and protector of all his people. Prayer is not just about getting our needs met; it is about staying close to the God who cares for us even when we don’t know it. As was the case with David, so it is with us. Our prayer brings us back under his shadow.
Second Reading: NEHEMIAH 1:1–11
First, let’s ask ourselves who Nehemiah was:
Nehemiah was a servant of the Persian king, Artaxerxes, in Susa — the capital of a vast empire. He held the position of cupbearer to the king, that is, a person very close to power and security. But his heart did not forget his people who were in Jerusalem. Jerusalem had been destroyed; its walls were broken down, its gates were burned, and its people lived in shame and misery. When the news reached Nehemiah, his human mind would have told him: *You are safe here. You have work. You have food. Don’t interfere with that.* But Nehemiah did the exact opposite.
“I sat down and wept, and mourned for days; I fasted and prayed before the God of heaven.”* (Nehemiah 1:4). Nehemiah shows us a perfect example of true prayer, and this example has four main pillars:
Prayer begins with a spiritual burden
Nehemiah sat down, this is not a picture of comfort. His sitting down was the sitting of a wounded man. He wept. He thought. Then he prayed. This is a very important sequence: the inner state of the heart produced prayer, not a religious schedule or a formal obligation. Nehemiah did not start by writing down building plans. He did not start by asking the king for permission. He started by praying. He who prayed first built the walls.
Prayer includes repentance “I confess the sins of the children of Israel…” (v. 6)
Nehemiah not only brought a request before God but also repentance. Dr. Martin Luther’s Small Catechism teaches that the Lord’s Prayer itself includes repentance: *“Forgive us our trespasses.”* This is not a small part of the prayer but the heart of it. Because repentance is the gateway to powerful prayer. It cleanses us and enables us to stand before God not on our own righteousness, but on His forgiveness. And indeed, the person who prays without repentance comes before God with an unaddressed burden.
Prayer holds onto God’s promises
Nehemiah reminds God of his own words: *“Remember the word that you commanded your servant Moses.”* (v. 8). Not because God forgot but because the supplicant stands on God’s Word as the foundation of his faith. Dr. Martin Luther wrote that a person who prays on God’s promises is like a man who goes to court with a briefcase full of real documents, for he has no hope of a lottery ticket, but has the right to a contract. Praying according to God’s promises is very different from praying with human hope.
Prayer precedes action
Nehemiah did not first build walls and then come to thank God. He first built an altar of prayer, and then built walls. This is a great spiritual principle: *Do not begin a work for which you have not prayed.* Work born of prayer endures. Work born of human strength alone wears out and dies. The great restoration of a nation was born on the knees of one man who prayed with tears. Nehemiah prayed from the month of Chislev to the month of Nisan, about four months before God gave him the opportunity to speak to the king (Nehemiah 2:1). But Nehemiah did not stop praying. He did not change his request. Nor did he say God was not listening. Just as he did not give up during the four months of prayer before he got that opportunity, so we should not stop praying.
Sermon Lesson: MATTHEW 6:7–13
In this part of the Sermon on the Mount, the Lord Jesus directly intervenes to teach us how to pray. Jesus does not say *”when you pray”* he says *”PRAY, then, like this…”* Prayer for Jesus is not a matter of choice but, rather, a discipline of Christian life. But before giving an example of prayer, Jesus begins with a warning:
“Do not be like the Gentiles, for they think that they will be heard for their many words.” (v. 7)
This is a very important warning. The power of prayer is not in the multitude of words, nor in the length of the prayer, nor in the loudness of the voice. The power of prayer is in the depth of the person’s relationship with the God to whom you are praying. A long, heartless prayer does not stand in the way of a short, heartfelt prayer. Luther’s principle here is this: *Non multiplicatio verborum sed fides cordis* it is not the multitude of words, but the faith of the heart that makes prayer real. But there is also a verse that is often read quickly, and it carries great weight: “Your Father knows what you need before you ask him.” (v. 8)
This raises a fundamental question: *if God already knows what I need, why should I pray?* The Lutheran answer is clear: prayer is not information you give to God. It is a **relationship** you ask God. When you tell someone you love your situation, you are not doing it because they don’t know. You are doing it because relationship requires language, it requires soul-revelation, it requires a heart-to-heart encounter. So too is prayer — not a report of a situation, but a loving conversation with a Father who knows you, loves you, and waits for you. Jesus then gives us a model — which we call the Lord’s Prayer — that teaches four great things:
Prayer begins with God before our needs
“Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name, your kingdom come, your will be done…” Jesus does not begin with daily bread. He does not begin with problems. He begins with the glory of God. This is the basic principle: prayer begins with God, not our problems. Luther wrote that the first request is for God (his name, his kingdom, his will) and the second request is for man (provision, forgiveness, protection). This order is not accidental. It is an education of faith. A person who learns to put God first in his prayer will gradually learn to put God first in his whole life.
Prayer carries physical and spiritual needs together
“Give us this day our daily bread… Forgive us our trespasses… Lead us not into temptation…” Jesus combines economic, spiritual, and spiritual protection needs in one prayer. There is no part of our life that is outside the realm of prayer. Our financial problems have their place before God. Your shameful sin has its place before God. Even the sadness that comes to you at midnight has its place.
The word “Father” is a theological revolution
For an Old Testament person, even uttering the name of God was a serious matter. But Jesus comes and breaks down all barriers — he says: come in, tell the Father. God is not an inspector of our deeds. He is not a punisher of our mistakes. He is not a distant, indifferent power. He is the Father — who knows our names, who knows our days, who waits for us to return to Him even when we are late.
Prayer is a weapon of spiritual warfare
“Deliver us from the evil one.” Jesus assures us that there are powers of darkness that oppose our life of faith. And his answer is prayer. Prayer does not stop the battle — it keeps us safe in it. Paul wrote clearly: *”The weapons of our warfare are not carnal”* (2 Corinthians 10:4). To stop praying is not peace, it is to lose the battlefield without fighting.
Where do our eyes look? If our eyes only look at the environment, finding ourselves alone, powerless, and overwhelmed by problems, we will lose our bearings. Nehemiah looked at the fallen wall — but his eyes of faith looked at the God of the wall. David fought a lion and a bear — but he trusted in the God who made him strong. Jesus, even with the heavy burden of the cross on his face, went into the garden on the night of Gethsemane to pray.
In his *Small Catechism*, Luther intended that every Christian home should be an *ecclesiola* — a small church — in which prayer and the Word are heard every day. Not just Sunday prayer. Monday morning prayer. Tuesday evening prayer. Friday night meal prayer. A family that prays together grows together in faith.
The question is: Does your home hear prayer every day?
WE PREACH THE LORD WHO WILL TEACH US TO PRAY
Only Jesus can teach us how to pray truly. His disciples directly prayed: *”Lord, teach us to pray.”* (Luke 11:1) — not “teach us to perform miracles,” not “teach us to preach.” They had discovered that the source of all the power of Jesus’ ministry was in his prayers.
And when we pray the Lord’s Prayer, we are not praying alone. We are praying with Christ, who always intercedes for us before the Father (Hebrews 7:25). Our weak prayer enters into his perfect prayer and is given power. This is the great comfort to the person who prays knowing that his prayer is not good enough — his prayer is lifted up by Christ Himself.
Prayer is not a substitute for work, but the foundation of work. Nehemiah proved this — before he touched a single brick, he spent four months praying.
Prayer is not a refuge for the weak, it is the strength of God’s servants. David came out of the caves strong because he prayed.
A church that does not pray gradually loses its spiritual strength — even if it is still carrying out its normal activities.
A Christian who does not pray cannot endure in true testimony — because true testimony is born in intimate communion with God.
✍️ Let us be people of constant prayer, not seasonal — let us not pray only in times of need.
✍️ Let us be intercessors — for our families, our churches, and our nation. Let every burden turn to the altar.
✍️ Let us teach believers that prayer is life, not an event. It is not just a church program — it is a daily breath.
✍️ Let us be like Nehemiah — one man who prayed with tears, carrying the great work of God.
Conclusion
In our difficult spiritual, economic, familial and social situations, we are reminded today that we are not left without help. We have been given the door of prayer — the door opened by Jesus Christ himself when he cried out to the Father from the cross.
David says God hears prayer.
Nehemiah says prayer builds broken walls.
Jesus says pray.
We can disappoint God by stopping praying because we look at the circumstances. He cannot disappoint us — because His power is not affected by our circumstances. Therefore, *we must pray to God always, and not give up. May God grant us the Spirit of prayer and intercession, in our families, in our churches, and in our individual hearts.
Amen.
I present
A Worker with You;
Rev. Wito Kinyamagoha
© May 07, 2026