Matthew 6:6 – But when you pray, go into your room and shut the door and pray to your Father who is in secret.
To be a Christian without prayer is no more possible than to be alive without breathing” – Martin Luther.
Prayer starts in the prayer closet not in the church gathering. A person who has no personal time of prayer will find it extremely difficult to engage in a corporate prayer. The reason why the prayer gatherings have the least attendance worldwide is because by and large people do not give utmost importance to their personal prayer life. Jesus gave us clear directions about our personal prayer. He did not say “if” you pray but “when” you pray.
Personal prayer makes us alive, agile and alert. Hence our schedule for the day must start with our personal prayer. In the morning, LORD, you hear my voice; in the morning I lay my requests before you and wait expectantly (Psalm 5:3). It is important to lay out our “prayer plan” every week and make sure that we stick to our prayer plan. If our schedule for the day starts early then, we must make sure that we go to bed early the previous night. If not, our flesh will be overtaken by fatigue and steal our prayer time. There are prayer thieves from the pit of hell who come to steal our prayer time by distracting us from our prayer plan. They don’t come like creepy demons in red suits with two black horns. They come as an interesting TV program, a movie, an enjoyable chat over the phone or household chores and will keep us awake until the late hours of the night. Catch the foxes for us, the little foxes that destroy the vineyards (Songs of Solomon 2:15a). Prioritizing our prayer plan and prayer time will fortify our protection, progression and peace.
Why should we pray and what happens when we pray?
1. Protection: Prayer builds the wall of protection over our posterity, profession and possessions. Family prayer is the hedge of protection for the family. Family that prays together stays together. Prayerlessness opens our lives to attacks of the thieves and raider who plunder us.
2. Progression: Prayer paves the way for our progression. The plots against us are defeated in the spiritual realm as we pray. Most times we don’t even know the conniving ploys that are sabotaged by our sweet hour of prayer. The mountain of destruction is flattened as we prioritize prayer.
3. Peace: Personal prayer time clothes us with peace. Our time of prayer is like getting dressed for the day. If we rush into the hustle and bustle of the day without prayer, it is like walking into the office in our nightdress! Personal prayer clothes us with stillness in the soul and we will be able to approach the problems and perturbations of the day calmly and conspicuously.
Beware of prayer thieves. Prioritize your prayer plan and never miss your prayer time. Prayer protects us, bolsters our progression and preserves our peace.
Luke 22:46 Why sleep ye? rise and pray, that ye enter not into temptation.
Prayer: Our Father in Heaven, help me to set my prayer plan, prioritize and follow my prayer time table meticulously. Amen.
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