Pastor and apologist Cliffe Knechtle engaged skeptics and their questions about God and faith. When asked the hard question, “Why pray when God is all-knowing?” he gave a remarkable answer.
Cliffe Knechtle
Pastor Cliffe is passionate about shedding light on people about God’s existence and faith. One of his efforts is going to universities and campuses to answer tough questions about Christianity from students and faculty.
One student asked him about the essence of prayer if God already knows what will happen.
Cliffe responded by presenting how society has defined prayer today. He said, “In our culture, too frequently, prayer is a way to hit the button to get the cosmic bell boy to fetch my bags.”
“Prayer is not an attempt to get the goody-goodies,” he continued. “Prayer is an attempt to develop intimacy with God.”
“According to Christ, our purpose in life is to know God, to worship and love Him, and then to love and serve people. So, the first purpose of prayer is to get to know God.”
He proceeded to give three points about what prayer looks like.
First, Cliffe referred to the Book of Psalms to illustrate what prayer is. According to the pastor, prayer is a human struggle to connect with God.
Second, prayer is learning to align people’s will with God’s will. “That’s Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane,” he said. “Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from Me yet, not My will but Your will be done.”
Third, Cliffe explained how God uses prayer to bring about His will. As James 5:16 says, “The prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective.”
So, he encouraged them to pray deeply as this would connect them to God. “Prayer is not a technique to learn to get what I want, but a connection to know God, develop intimacy with Him, and learn His will.”
