A couple years ago I did a radio interview with WBCL in Indiana. At the time, I was doing a DCW conference for a group of local leaders in Michigan. So I holed up in someone’s office and used their phone to do the live interview. The subject of the interview was an article I wrote for Today’s Christian Woman magazine titled “I’ll Pray For You,” an article aimed at converting our good intentions to pray for someone into actual, heartfelt intercession on their behalf.

The night before the interview I sat in my hotel room doing a little prep work. And in the middle of reading through various different perspectives on intercessory prayer, one simple verse in John caught my eye:

“Now this is eternal life: that they may know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent.” ~ John 17:3

Somehow this one verse boiled down an answer to the question I’d been asking myself a lot lately: What’s the point?

Prayer is a tough assignment to figure out sometimes. If we can manipulate God through prayer, then what does that say about God? But if our prayers don’t change the ultimate outcome of what we’re praying for, then why pray? These were among the questions I’d long wrestled with, and knew would be asked on the air. John 17:3 clarified this at least in part for me.

I pray to know God. Outcomes may or may not change, or at least not like I want them to. But if the primary objective of prayer — or even life in general — is to know God, then is that enough for me? For you?

• Day 316 (Monday): Mark 15, Matthew 27
  
• Day 317: John 18-19, Luke 23
  
• Day 318: Mark 16, Matthew 28
  
• Day 319: John 20-21, Luke 24
  
• Day 320: Acts 1-3
  
• Day 321: Acts 4-6
  
• Day 322: Acts 7-8