Matthew 26:4 ‘Pray so that you will not fall into temptation.’
“God wants us to pray, and he wants to hear our prayers-not because we are worthy, but because he is merciful.” — Martin Luther
God expects us to pray. Prayer must not only be our priority but it must be our lifestyle. Prayer is not a ritual or repetition but our hotline, lifeline and help-line to align with the purpose and will of God. Making excuses for missing prayer only hurts us. You do not have because you do not ask God (James 4:2b). If we are not sure if what we are asking is within God’s will, we don’t have to stress. As we commit to pray the Holy Spirit will uproot the wrong perspectives and plant God’s purpose. Devote yourselves to prayer, being watchful and thankful (Colossians 4:2). Prayer requires effort and devotion. We have to be watchful to fill our hearts with gratitude and not grudges. When we hear people complaining, it is not the condition of their mouth but it is a condition of their heart. An ungrateful heart makes the mouth complain and grouch. A grateful heart makes our lips overflow with thanksgiving.
Someone once asked C.S. Lewis, “Why pray if God knows all and is sovereign over all?” Lewis replied, “You might as well ask me why breathe, for prayer to the soul is as necessary as breathing for the body.” To ‘stop praying’ is the beginning of slow death.
Dwight L. Moody said, “If we read the Word and do not pray, we may become puffed up with knowledge, without the love that builds up. If we pray without reading the Word, we shall be ignorant of the mind and will of God, and become mystical and fanatical, and liable to be blown about by every wind of doctrine.”
Word without prayer makes us bigheaded and Prayer without word make us bareheaded. Prayer will help us to foresee and keep away from temptation. Prayer is our protection in the tempest, trial and test and prayer brings victory. Make prayer your lifestyle.
God expects us to pray without ceasing:
1. Temptation: Jesus warned us to pray so that we might not be tempted. He woke up Peter, John and James three times at the Garden of Gethsemane to pray with so that they might not be tempted. If Peter had prayed and not curled up to sleep he would not have impetuously cut the ear of the servant of the High Priest (Malcus) at the Garden, or would have vehemently denied Jesus.
2. Tempest: Prayer is our protection in the tempest. The Lord will be a shelter from the storm and a shade from the heat. For the breath of the ruthless is like a storm driving against a wall and like the heat of the desert (Isaiah 25:4b-5a).
3. Triumph: Prayer is the battlefield. Only prayer warriors who passionately fight in the battlefield can share the victory. ‘Pray, Prayer, Praying leads to Victory!’ -Joe Cervantes.
God expects prayer to become our lifestyle.
James 5:16b “The effective prayer of a righteous man can accomplish much.”
Prayer: Father in Heaven, fill me up with the passion to pray without ceasing. Help me to make prayer my lifestyle, my hotline and helpline at all times. Amen.
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