The reason we should be succinct in prayer is that God knows what we need before we ask him. But if God knows all our problems and needs before we ask, why ask at all? We must remember that, generally speaking, God has determined not to fulfill our needs unless we ask him to. Our petitions are the means by which God has purposed to give us what he already knows we need. In addition, the doctrine of divine omniscience compels us to be totally honest with God in prayer. When dealing with someone whose