Why Pray?

For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. [John 3.16 NKJV]

The answer to the question, "Why pray?" is found entirely in the verse above.

Everything that anyone could ever genuinely need from God, and would pray for, is justified in the fact that God loves the world - all people.

Could a political agenda for our nation distract us from God's spiritual agenda for the world?

Of course God cares about nations. But true Christians must understand that God's care for individual nations pales in comparison to His love for the world. In other words, God's work on behalf of any nation will always perfectly fit into His plan for the world. His plan for the world governs all other plans.

If we are to pray effectively for our nation, it will only be in concert with God's plan for the world. That plan does not follow political party lines, church denominational lines, or personal preferences. God's plan is this:

For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. [John 3.16 NKJV]

Our work on earth is not political but spiritual:

And all of this is a gift from God, who brought us back to himself through Christ. And God has given us this task of reconciling people to him. [2 Corinthians 5.18]

God's plan is that we are reconciled to Him so that we might then reconcile others to Him. If everything we adhere to politically, denominationally, and personally hinges on this truth, then the Kingdom of God will manifest. Otherwise... well, the evening news pretty much tells that story.