Men always ought to pray and not lose heart.
“ Men always ought to pray and not lose heart.” Luke 18:1
This profound statement from Jesus is both encouraging and incredibly instructive. There must be something unique about prayer and the privilege in exercising our faith in the grace of prayer. The Merriam-Webster Dictionary defines prayer as: an address ( as a petition ) to God or a god in word or thought. What a beautiful definition that throws light on different variables about the act of prayer. It could be an address such as praise and thanksgiving. It could be a petition for the divine to redress our sense of what is unjust or to supply our physical needs. Prayer could be expressed or meditative and channeled to God or gods depending on who or what is exerting the predominant influence in our lives. Biblical prayer is undoubtedly both a communication and communion with the only living God. It is un-natural but a supernatural grace God has endowed mankind for our benefit. It is rich with eternal benefits and divine perspectives. Man benefits tremendously and God benefits also. When you pray, the heavens rejoice because the angels, your ministering spirits, are given a job to do. The realm of nature and the realm of the spirit are brought into partnership. The heavens are moved to act on behalf of the people on the earth. However, true and effective prayers have been granted to us through the access and grace in the Blood of Jesus Christ; the great High Priest over the children of God. To the redeemed, God invites us to “ come boldly to the throne of grace that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need.” Hebrews 4:16.
Why do we neglect to pray or struggle with the act of prayer?
- For sure prayer is a spiritual exercise and to the un-regenerated mind it does not make sense at all. Even many older Christians struggle with it but when you have received the fire of His Spirit, prayer becomes an automatic, inevitable and empowering fellowship with the Creator of the universe.
- Sometimes the spirit of doubt creeps into our thoughts. What if the answers to our prayers were mere coincidences? Then, the attitude of sluggishness towards praying overtakes us and keeps us away from this honor of partnership with Christ. The need to say some prayers while at the same time being in God’s way as we strive to solve the issue ourselves is often the case in desperate moments or crisis situations.
- Many people feel discouraged because they have prayed and prayed but nothing has happened. Well, this prayer thing is definitely not for them they will opine. But what if God’s answer is not how they want it or His timing is different from our expectation. What if there are sins in our life that is blocking the flow of God’s power into the situation?
- Another reason for our nonchalant attitude towards prayer is the spirit of independence in natural man. Man has been endowed with the power of imagination, creativity and astounding intelligence coupled with the honor of free will. He can choose to walk with God or decide to live independent of Him. Nimrod in the Book of Genesis understood the power of corporate existence and went all out to make a name for himself independent of God. They actually almost succeeded until God saw the wickedness of their heart and the opposition to His eternal purpose for mankind, and sent the spirit of confusion to scatter their plan. I make bold to state that a prayerless life is the spirit of Nimrod and you will remain a man or woman of the earth! The only difference you have from a beast is your level of intelligence but you are a man or woman inspired and driven by instincts and emotions. You deny yourself of God’s excellent Spirit of Holiness!
- Another frightening reason why most people discount prayer is that we are humbled by the exercise. However, most people want to be the architect of their own lives. We want a god who listens and does what we want and when we want it. The underlying motive behind paganism and cultic ways of life is that innate tendency to control our destiny. We want a god we can manipulate to accomplish our will. This is self-exaltation and sheer idolatry!
- It is also not uncommon for those whose parents, especially their fathers, were not there for them while growing up to shy away from prayer. Even after receiving Salvation it may be hard for them to accept God fully as their heavenly father. They see God through the lens of their earthly father. The feelings of rejection, worthlessness and low self-esteem hinder them from approaching God in a loving fellowship in prayer. But cheer up because God has given His assurance that you have been accepted in the Beloved.
- Sometimes just because we don’t know enough scriptures or don’t pray in tongues we feel inadequate and shy away from praying, especially in a group prayer setting. But the scriptures admonishes us not only to avoid the mistake of comparing among ourselves but to put into earnest use whatever measure of grace God has granted us. God knows our hearts. It is not your many and well spoken words that get the job done but the sincerity and earnestness of your heart that God is concerned about. The scripture has some encouragement for us in this category. “ The Spirit also helps in our weaknesses. For we do not know what we should pray for as we ought but the Spirit Himself makes intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered.” Just another way to say, just step out into prayer and let God do the rest. We are living in the dispensation of grace. Hallelujah!!!
- And yet another cause of tardiness or complete negligence in prayer is Busyness or the euphoria of accomplishment. No doubt, this is a great deception. You are enticed by the ambitions and pursuits of this life and without the benefits of prayer seduced and captured by it. The desire to achieve more and more and earn glory for yourself keeps you entangled in the mesh of worldliness or church programs to the detriment of your first priority. Jesus has a strong case against you O man or woman. “ You have left your first love. Remember therefore from where you have fallen; repent and do the first works, or else I will come to you quickly and remove your lampstand from its place.” Prayer is a grace of God. Not praying is communicating to God you don’t need His grace anymore! You have become your own man or woman independent of Christ.
But who should be doing the Praying?
More often than not, many of us church folks have this belief that we are not good enough, and so someone else we deem more holy or worthy like the ministers should do the prayers. Some women might argue based on their understanding of our foundational text that it is a man’s job always to lead in prayer. Yet others who are yet to receive salvation might make a case that God does not answer the prayers of sinners and so why border. Indeed, prayer is both a powerful and honorable exercise instituted by God for the express purpose of fellowship with an unworthy and wretched man. It is gainful to have a sense of unworthiness towards God but that feeling should urge you towards Him who is rich in mercy. Yes, in difficult situations we need to harness the anointing in others especially our ministers but the special grace to persevere in prayer is required from all children of God regardless of role or gender. For the unsaved, a serious plea for mercy especially in desperate situation oftentimes moves the grace of God. It is even more powerful when a sinner ask God for the grace of salvation, for the Scripture assures us that “ whoever calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.” Romans 10:13.
How Relevant is Prayer in our modern world?
I sense this may be the fundamental question going through the minds of so many, even believers, in our generation. It is the belief or conviction about the significance of a concept that inspires our behavior towards the idea or entity. We live in an era where knowledge and ability to engage and prosper in many endeavors have been made so easily obtainable and incredibly accessible to mankind, so why bother praying to God who may not accede to our request when and how we want it. In the book of Daniel, a prophetic insight was given to us. “ Many shall run to and fro, and knowledge shall increase.” Daniel 12: 4. When Jesus Christ was tempted by the devil prior to His earthly ministry, one powerful bait of the enemy was, “ all this authority I give You, and their glory…” Luke 4: 6. Put in another way, why pray when we have access to all we need regardless of God, the foolish may reason. I must concede that the human race has made tremendous stride in technology and this has been such a tremendous blessing to mankind. But those who know their God will realize that true knowledge and wisdom come from God. The glories of this life fade in comparison to a life in union with Christ in prayer. When the Spirit of His Holiness is rejected in our homes, schools and communities by a prayerless existence the family suffers and all sorts of perversions and wickedness rule in our life. Technology was given to reflect the goodness of God but embracing the gift and rejecting the source has certain consequences of emptiness, loneliness and depravity of soul and spirit.
Prayer is a Divine Imperative, Not a choice.
I must qualify this statement. Everyone prays at a certain time of his or her life, especially in desperate situations. The sailors in the same boat with Jonah who was running away from a divine imperative faced the greatest storm of their life. They prayed even though to a God they had no relationship with. Somehow they were saved from the peril in a mysterious way. God is rich in mercy and shows grace even to the unregenerate especially to reveal Himself to them through their circumstances. But to the redeemed, prayer is a command from the Lord to His covenant people. Subsequent to Christ triumphant entry into Jerusalem, He declared after an unexpected visit into the temple, “ It is written, My house shall be called a house of prayer, but you have made it a den of thieves. “ Matthew 21: 13. The redeemed, the house or temple of God has become a ‘ house of prayer.’ Hallelujah. What a glorious privilege and honor vested on the believers to be partners with their Lord in approaching the ‘ throne of grace’ to tap into the unlimited and everlasting mercies from the Most High God. It is the heart of God to save the lost in the blinded nations of the world. “ For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.” John 3: 16.