Pride kills prayer. While we wouldn’t come out and say we don’t believe in God’s providence, functionally, we deny it in our prayerlessness. We have become prideful because we are prosperous. The average person doesn’t go to God in prayer for next week’s groceries when the money is already in the bank. We are inclined to trust ourselves to secure our financial stability rather than expressing dependence on God to provide for our needs.

Because of our astounding prosperity, we have come to rely on ourselves in an almost idolatrous fashion. A heart of self-dependence cannot pray. In reality, the highest expression of pride and self-dependence is a lack of prayer.

When we pray, we come to God expressing our dependence upon Him for His gracious provision in every area of our lives. At its heart, prayer is the acknowledgment that we do not possess the necessary ability to provide for our needs. From asking for our daily bread, something we are not wholly accustomed to, to asking for God’s provision in forgiveness prayer is an admission of our inadequacy.

It is by God’s grace that we have the sustenance we need. It is by God’s grace that we are forgiven, and it is by His grace we are brought to repentance. Once we recognize God’s gracious provision in every area of our lives, our prayer is transformed from being a recitation of needs to an act of worship. Rather than trusting our power, we thank and praise Him for His provision, both physically and spiritually.

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