Pray without ceasing (1 Thessalonians 5:17).
As for me, I will certainly not sin against the Lord by ending my prayers for you. And I will continue to teach you what is good and right (1 Samuel 12:23).
You do not have, because you do not ask (James 4:2).
Prayer is talking with and listening to God. Prayer is seeking God. Prayer is worshiping and praising God. Prayer is giving thanks to God. Prayer is all of these activities and more.
We need to broaden and expand our definition and understanding of prayer and what it truly is.
It can be said that prayer is our intimate walk with God.
No one prayed more than the Lord Jesus did. His whole life was a prayer.
We are called to imitate Christ. So, like Christ, we should strive to live so that our whole life is prayer – our intimate walk with God.
Prayer is to be a major priority for the church. Individually and collectively, we are to live lives given to prayer. The church itself is called to be a house of prayer.
How tragic it is when we fall short in our calling and obligation to pray. When we don’t pray as we should, we miss blessings that God very much wanted us to have.
Did you or I miss one or more blessings today because we did not pray for certain things?
You do not have, because you do not ask (James 4:2).
Jabez was more honorable than his brothers; and his mother called his name Jabez, saying, “Because I bore him in pain.” Jabez called upon the God of Israel, saying, “Oh that you would bless me and enlarge my border, and that your hand might be with me, and that you would keep me from harm so that it might not bring me pain!” And God granted what he asked. (1 Chronicles 4:9-10).
Jabez received some unique blessings from the Lord. He made four requests from the Lord and God gave Him all four requests.
Why? Jabez was wise enough – to ask for them.
Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. 8 For everyone who asks receives, and the one who seeks finds, and to the one who knocks it will be opened (Matthew 7:7-8).
Sometimes help or deliverance may not come because the people of God were not praying as they ought to have been praying.
And I sought for a man among them who should build up the wall and stand in the breach before me for the land, that I should not destroy it, but I found none (Ezekiel 22:30).
In Ezekiel, we see that God was looking for intercessors who would pray for the land so that judgment might be avoided. But He didn’t find a single prayer warrior who was praying for Israel.
So, judgment came upon the nation.
Also, prayerlessness by the people of God can result in followers of Christ becoming spiritually dull. In other words, when the people of God neglect praying, we are not as spiritually alert as we should be. And we are not as sensitive to the voice and actions of the Holy Spirit as we should be.
Finally, when the people of God don’t pray as we should, we can miss what God is saying or doing in a given season or situation. Whereas, on the other hand, living a prayer-filled life can help followers of the Lord to be very sensitive and alert to God and the things of God.
In Matthew chapter two, we see that wise men came from the east looking for the king of the Jews. It is apparent that the wise men knew God, listened to Him, and were very sensitive to Him.
The wise men saw the star and knew what it meant. Apparently, they we men of prayer and the Spirit of God and had let them know a number of important truths that many other persons of that time didn’t know. They saw the star as probably anyone else during that time could. Yet because they we close to God and listening to Him, they knew what the star meant.
They knew that it was pointing them to the King of the Jews.
So again, it was an indication that they were people of prayer.
Sadly, people who they talked to and interacted with in Jerusalem could see the star too, yet the Scripture does not say that a single person followed them to go and find the Messiah.
How tragic it is, that it seems so many in Israel were spiritually insensitive to what God was doing.
Now Simeon and Anna in Luke chapter two, who were people of prayer, they didn’t miss their Messiah. They both saw and recognized Him and were excited to see Him.
Why? Again, a prayer-filled life helps you to hear the Holy Spirit’s voice much more clearly and sense Him at work more so than if we didn’t live a prayer-filled life.
Israel had been looking for their Messiah for centuries. Yet sadly, many in Israel, missed Him when he came.
Prayerlessness can cause each of us to miss out on so much in life.
Please don’t allow prayerlessness to define your life.
