Always pray . . .

 

Lately the Lord is reinforcing that I should “always pray and not lose heart.” (Luke 18:1) He is using dreams as part of His lesson plan, not dreams about prayer, but dreams that cause me to lose heart. The lesson is that when I pray for a good sleep and meaningful dreams, that is what happens, but if I forget, like I did last night, then I have dreams that leave me upset and joyless. As today’s devotional says, prayer must not be limited to certain times, places, or circumstances.

MacArthur points out that Scripture records people praying in the morning, evening, three times a day, before meals, after meals, at bedtime, at midnight, day and night, in their youth, in their old age, when troubled, and when joyful. Also, there are no limits on the place or circumstances. Prayer happened in a cave, in a closet, in a garden, on a mountainside, by a river, by the sea, in the street, in the temple, in bed, at home, in the stomach of a fish, in battle, on a housetop, in a prison, in the wilderness, and on a cross.

I relate. These days I find myself praying while walking, doing dishes, sitting in front of my computer, when the phone rings, as I am sewing, with others on the phone, before meals, before bed, and after realizing that I didn’t pray and should have.

The Bible is filled with prayer and examples of the above truth. The first NT book offers when and how to pray and who and what to pray for:

But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you . . .  (Matthew 5:44)

And when you pray, you must not be like the hypocrites. For they love to stand and pray in the synagogues and at the street corners, that they may be seen by others. Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward. But when you pray, go into your room and shut the door and pray to your Father who is in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you. (Matthew 6:5–6)

Pray earnestly to the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest. (Matthew 9:38)

And after (Jesus) had dismissed the crowds, he went up on the mountain by himself to pray. When evening came, he was there alone. (Matthew 14:23)

Then children were brought to him that he might lay his hands on them and pray . . . . (Matthew 19:13)

Going a little farther he fell on his face and prayed, saying, “My Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me; nevertheless, not as I will, but as you will.” (Matthew 26:39)

Watch and pray that you may not enter into temptation. The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak. (Matthew 26:41)

So, leaving them again, he went away and prayed for the third time, saying the same words again. (Matthew 26:44)

I’m to pray for those who oppose my faith, pray privately and never for show, pray God will mobilize disciple-makers, pray alone, for others, and for God’s will to be done even if it costs me something. I’m to pray regarding temptation remembering that as willing that I might be, my old nature is still unable to do anything without the enabling of the Spirit. And if the burdens are not released, I’m to pray until they are, even if that involves repeating my requests.

It is easier to gripe about opposition, egotistical to boast about my prayer life, be discouraged when I hear the need for workers, pray only in the company of others and pray only for myself. How often do I tell God what to do instead of saying, “Thy will be done”? And how often do I forget to pray, “Lead me not into temptation but deliver me from the evil one”? And perhaps my ‘faith that God hears and I only need to say it once’ is merely an excuse because I’m too lazy to keep asking God for something?

Lord Jesus, You invite me to ask in Your name and You will give me whatever I ask. This means far more than a tag line at the end of my prayer. Your name represents all that You are and when I pray, my requests are to be consistent with all that You are. This means knowing You, not just as an acquaintance but deeply, with understanding of how You think and realizing Your plans and goals for Your people. I must spend time with You, alone on a mountain, or in front of a sink piled with dishes, or when I wake up, or before I go to bed. May I always be aware of Your presence and always ready to talk with You about everything.

MORE: Print out this post and use it for prayer prompts about all current plans, thoughts, and concerns.

 

Prayer is . . .

 

In December, pandemic isolation, the war in Ukraine, other world news, the state of some family members, and other issues made my heart heavy. God knows what I need so I invited Him to surprise me. After several incredible answers to prayer, some of them not even given as a verbal request, my prayer life is changing.

A few weeks ago, I made a commitment to more prayer and immediately things to stop me from talking to God hit like machine gun fire. February was filled with unexpected demands on my time and energy, but also with a deeper desire to persist. Those days that I prayed the most were the most challenging, yet God kept surprising me. I must agree with today’s devotional topic: Spiritual victory is directly related to the quality of our prayer life. I might add that the quality of my prayer life is also related to spiritual victories.

The NT tells me to “Pray at all times in the Spirit, with all prayer and supplication. To that end, keep alert with all perseverance, making supplication for all the saints” (Ephesians 6:18)

Praying like that is tied to worship. The more I praise God and speak to Him about His power and grace, the deeper my conviction that He cares, He can do what is needed, and it is best to leave the choice with Him.

While MacArthur sees our spiritual freedoms and high standard of living make it easy to become complacent about prayer and to presume on God’s grace, I am not so certain that is the reason. For me, lack of prayer is tied to the attitude of ‘I can do this myself.’ Pride and the ability to take care of myself does not foster a strong prayer life. Saying I trust God does not mean I can live as if He is not necessary. I need to recognize my need for Him and stop trying to fill that need with my own way, or with other people or things. In other words, idolatry is a big enemy of prayer. Another enemy is Satan and his evil forces and ideas.

Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might. Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil. For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places. Therefore, take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand firm. (Ephesians 6:10–13)

The armor of God involves being firm about truth, knowing where my righteousness comes from and how Jesus protects me. It is about willingness to share the gospel, having faith that knows the enemy’s devices and how to defeat him, and knowing the Word of God and how to use it . . . praying at all times! It is realizing that being a Christian is being a warrior against wickedness and most of our battle is on our knees.

Last week my hubby had surgery. I was fearful as hospitals can be dangerous places, especially for people like him with a lowered immune system. I asked our children to pray for him and for my fears. Within an hour of sending that request, my fear was gone and complete confidence in God who knows best came back. The power of God is felt in the people on our prayer list. Never doubt it and keep praying for them!

Jesus told His disciples to “always pray and not lose heart” (Luke 18:1) and Paul tells us to “Pray without ceasing” meaning to live in a constant state of awareness — He is right here, and I can talk to Him and lean on His shoulder anytime I need to . . . and the more I feel a need, the more I lean into prayer. Besides learning to pray more, God is teaching me to welcome neediness — for this draws me closer to Him.

Lord Jesus, I thank You for the privilege of prayer. I know that I’m easily distracted so often need a determination to pray when something pulls me toward my to-do list. I also know that You are eager to answer prayer. These past few weeks have been filled with ‘surprises’ that were “exceedingly abundant above all I could ask or imagine.” (Ephesians 3:20) These answers did involve struggle with many unexpected issues, yet You heard my heart, even when the words didn’t make it out my mouth. May that not be an excuse to yield to all the distractions and lies of the enemy, but instead give greater and deeper attention to communicating with You. You want me to pray all the time because You want to answer all the time!

READ: Daniel 9:1–19. What prompted Daniel’s prayer? What was Daniel’s attitude toward God? Toward himself and his people? What did Daniel request?