PRAYER IS VITAL

10. Why is prayer vital for a baptized Christian?

¹⁰ While personal study is one way we listen to Jehovah, prayer is a way in which we speak to him. A Christian should not view prayer as a meaningless ritual; nor is it a ‘good luck charm’ to increase the chances of success at some endeavor. Rather, prayer is real communication with our Creator. Jehovah wants to hear from you. (Read Philippians 4:6.) When you experience any kind of anxiety, the Bible’s wise advice is to “throw your burden on Jehovah.” (Ps. 55:22) Do you really believe that? There are millions of brothers and sisters who can assure you that it has helped them. It can help you too!

11. Why should you always give thanks to Jehovah?

¹¹ Prayer offers you the opportunity to do more than simply ask Jehovah for help. The Bible says: “Show yourselves thankful.” (Col. 3:15) Sometimes we can become so consumed by our problems that we overlook the many blessings we have. Why not determine that each day you will think of at least three things for which you can be thankful? Then thank Jehovah in prayer for those blessings. A teenager named Abigail, who got baptized at age 12, says: “I feel that Jehovah deserves our thanks more than anyone else in the universe. We should thank him at every opportunity for the gifts he has given us. I once heard an excellent reminder: If we woke up tomorrow with only the things we thanked Jehovah for today, what would we end up with?”a