IT HAS BEEN SAID THAT PRAYER DOES NOT NEED PROOF OUTSIDE ITSELF BECAUSE ITS PROOFS ARE WITHIN. IT IS IN THE NATURE AND FUNCTION OF MAN, LIKE BREATHING, EATING AND DRINKING, AND HE PRACTICES IT AS PART OF HIS VERY BEING.
PRAYER IN THE LIFE OF A CHRISTIAN IS ESSENTIAL YET SO FEW MAKE IT SO. AS PRAYER MEETINGS CONTINUE TO BE THE LEAST SUPPORTED MINISTRY OF THE CHURCH IT IS TIME TO HEAL THIS DISEASE THAT PLAGUES OUR CHURCHES TODAY.
INSTEAD OF BEING A LAST RESORT WE MUST MAKE PRAYER A FIRST PRIORITY IN OUR LIVES. INSTEAD OF VIEWING PRAYER AS A ONE-WAY CONVERSATION, LET’S REMEMBER THAT IT IS A TWO-WAY CONVERSATION WITH OUR FATHER.
KNOWING THE FRAILTY OF OUR HUMANNESS WE BECOME FULLY AWARE OF OUR NEED TO PRAY. WE LEARN THAT IF WE WILL JUST COME TO THE END OF OURSELVES, WE WILL FIND OURSELVES AT THE BEGINNING OF GOD.
PRAYER IS FOR EVERY MOMENT OF OUR LIVES, NOT JUST FOR TIMES OF SUFFERING OR WHEN WE ARE IN TROUBLE. PRAYER IS A PLACE, A PLACE WHERE YOU MEET GOD IN GENUINE CONVERSATION.
PRAYER AT ITS HIGHEST IS A TWO-WAY CONVERSATION WHERE LISTENING TO GOD’S REPLIES BECOME MORE IMPORTANT THAN WHATEVER IT WAS WE SAID TO HIM.
OUR GREATEST MODEL OF PRAYER IS OBVIOUSLY CHRIST JESUS HIMSELF. HE WAS CONSTANTLY IN AN ATTITUDE OF PRAYER, AND NEVER MORE URGENTLY THAN WHEN IN THE FACE OF SUFFERING.
AN AMAZING THING IN SCRIPTURE IS HOW MUCH TIME JESUS SPENT IN PRAYER. HE HAD ONLY THREE YEARS OF PUBLIC MINISTRY, BUT HE WAS NEVER TOO HURRIED TO SPEND HOURS IN PRAYER.
HE PRAYED BEFORE DIFFICULT TASKS AND CRISES IN HIS MINISTRY. NO DAY BEGAN OR CLOSED IN WHICH HE WAS NOT IN COMMUNION WITH HIS FATHER.
HE PRAYED LONG AND OFTEN. HE PRAYED BRIEFLY WHEN HE WAS IN A CROWD; HE PRAYED A LITTLE LONGER WHEN HE WAS WITH HIS DISCIPLES; HE PRAYED ALL NIGHT WHEN HE WAS ALONE.
AS OUR MODEL OF PRAYER WE NOW SEE WHY WE MUST HEAL OURSELVES FROM THE WOUNDS INFLICTED FROM PRAYING SO HAPHAZARDLY.
SPEAKING JUST A FEW HEART-WARMING PHRASES FIRST THING IN THE MORNING AND THEN SAYING GOOD-BYE TO GOD FOR THE REST OF THE DAY IS NOT THE EXAMPLE OF PRAYER THAT JESUS GAVE TO US.
COMING HOME FROM A TIRING DAY AND SLEEPILY PUSHING THROUGH A FEW SELECT VERSES OF A DEVOTIONAL BOOK BEFORE TURNING OUT THE LIGHT FOR A NIGHT’S SLEEP IS NOT THE EXAMPLE OF PRAYER THAT JESUS GAVE TO US.
IT IS A MATTER OF DEVELOPING THE BIBLICAL LIFESTYLE OF BEING ABLE TO "PRAY WITHOUT CEASING." THIS SHOULD BE THE MOTTO OF EVERY TRUE FOLLOWER OF JESUS. AND AS WE PRAY, OUR PRAYERS NEVER BECOME MERELY AN ACT BUT AN ATTITUDE OF LIFE.
CAN WE MAKE PRAYER A WAY OF LIFE SO THAT IT BECOMES A CEASELESS CONVERSATION WITH OUR FATHER? CAN WE BECOME LIKE THE PERSISTENT WIDOW JESUS SPOKE ABOUT IN THIS PASSAGE OF LUKE 18?
JESUS TOLD THIS PARABLE TO EMPHASIZE THE NEED FOR PERSISTENCE IN OUR PRAYER LIFE AND TO DO SO UNTIL JESUS COMES AGAIN.
JESUS WANTS US TO GET THE POINT HE WAS TRYING TO MAKE METAPHORICALLY IN HIS PARABLE OF THE WIDOW AND JUDGE. THE POINT BEING THAT PERSISTENCE PAYS OFF!
IF A CORRUPT JUDGE CAN EVENTUALLY BE WORN DOWN OVER A COURSE OF TIME TO RENDER JUSTICE, WE CAN REST ASSURED THAT GOD WILL BE MUCH QUICKER TO DELIVER AN EVEN GREATER JUSTICE.
PUT ANOTHER WAY: IF AN UNJUST JUDGE EVENTUALLY LISTENED TO THE WIDOW, HOW MUCH MORE QUICKLY WILL A CARING, LOVING GOD RESPOND TO ONE OF HIS CHILDREN?
BUT LET US BE CAREFUL! WE MUST TAKE CARE WITH INTERPRETING THIS PASSAGE. IT IS NOT IMPLYING THAT GOD IS A CELESTIAL SANTA CLAUSE WHO QUICKLY DISHES OUT ANYTHING AND EVERYTHING WE DEMAND FROM OUR WISH-LISTS.
PRAYER IS MORE THAN VERBALLY STATING OUR WISHES; IT IS THE VOICE OF FAITH DIRECTED TO GOD. A TYPE OF FAITH THAT GIVES POWER TO OUR PRAYERS.
IT IS THIS SAME POWER IN THOSE PRAYERS THAT, IN TURN, GIVES EVEN MORE STRENGTH TO OUR FAITH! IN OTHER WORDS, A PERSISTENT PRAYER LIFE IS NEEDED TO MAINTAIN A HEALTHY FAITH.
WHAT SHAPE IS OUR PRAYER LIFE IN TODAY? I HOPE WE ARE NOT STILL CAUGHT IN THE TRAP OF MINDLESSLY REPEATING JUVENILE PRAYERS THAT FOCUS AROUND PETTY ISSUES, SELF-CENTERED DESIRES, OR DREAMS THAT ARE IRRELEVANT TO GOD’S REDEMPTIVE PURPOSES?
PRAYER IS A PLACE WHERE WE NEED TO SPEND TIME IF WE ARE TO LEARN ITS POWER. WE CAN LEARN ITS POWER IF WE WILL JUST PRAY.
PRAYER IS THE UNIQUE WAY OF BEING CREATIVE WITH SILENCE AND STILLNESS. AS PSALM 46:10, SAYS "BE STILL AND KNOW THAT I AM GOD."
CAN WE LEAVE HERE TODAY KNOWING SUCH POWER AND EXPERIENCING SUCH STILLNESS?
DO WE KNOW THAT A PERSON HAS MORE STRENGTH WHEN HE OR SHE IS AT PRAYER THAN ALL THE WORLD’S GOVERNING AUTHORITIES HAVE TO RULE THEIR NATIONS COMBINED?
I HOPE WE WILL LEAVE HERE TODAY WITH A GREATER URGENCY FOR PRAYER. I HOPE WE CAN DEVELOP A MORE CONSISTENT PATTERN THAT DEVELOPS INTO CEASELESS PERSISTENCE OF COMMUNICATION WITH GOD THE FATHER.
PRAYER IS NOT JUST FOR EMERGENCIES. NEITHER IS IT A MATTER OF POSTURE OR POSITION, VOCABULARY OR VOCATION. PRAYER IS A PLACE IN THE HEART AND MIND. PRAYER IS JUST A WAY OF LIFE.
FROM THIS DAY ON, MAY WE SEE A REVIVAL IN OUR CHURCHES, OUR LIVES, OUR CULTURE, AND OUR WORLD SIMPLY BECAUSE WE DEVELOPED THE CREATIVE SILENCE OF PRAYER.
PRAYER IS PERSISTENT, FAITH-FILLED, COMMUNICATION WITH OUR HEAVENLY FATHER. WHAT HAVE YOU AND GOD BEEN TALKING ABOUT LATELY?
