What About Prayer?

There’s a good reason that the flesh will not complain about much of anything you want to do, but when it comes to getting into some hardcore serious praying, it wants to balk. Yes you can read, sing, go to services, talk to someone about the Lord, and plenty of other things; but when it’s time to get down to some perseverance in prayer, the flesh just doesn’t want to go there. The reason is that “the carnal mind is enmity against God,” and it doesn’t like the idea of you getting in touch with God and getting the power you need to put the flesh to death and let God “work in you to will and to do of his good pleasure" (Rom. 8:7; Philip.2:13). Without much perseverance in prayer on a daily basis you just aren’t going to go anywhere with God. It’s just the way it is. You’re not going to be in tune with God’s Spirit or know where the heck you’re going spiritually either. You may think otherwise, but that doesn’t change the truth of the matter. In fact thinking otherwise is a really bad sign of where you are at spiritually, and if that kind of mindset persists you will end up "calling good evil, and evil good" (Isa.5:20). Prayer is quite simply the power box for everything that we need to be doing in the Spirit, and we need to be doing a lot in the Spirit! If you have enough time and experience in God under your belt then you know that what I’m saying is simplistically and irrefutably the truth. If I went with the way I feel when I’m getting ready to pray every day, I would not be praying as often and as much as I do. But if I go with the way I feel when I’m about half way finished with my praying every day, I would never do anything else. If you are real with God and you do much praying on a regular basis, you know the immeasurable value of the labor, time, and perseverance that you’re putting in; and you just can’t not do it. There’s too much at stake across the board.

David said," Evening, and morning, and at noon, will I pray, and cry aloud " (Psm. 55:17). The scripture also says that Daniel "kneeled upon his knees three times a day, and prayed" (Daniel 6:10). Jesus said "that men ought ALWAYS to pray, and not faint" (Lk. 18:1). The "not fainting” part shows that there is surely a temptation to faint from the kind of prayer he’s talking about. In the same parable he afterward said that God would tend to the needs of “his own elect, which cry day and night unto him" (Lk. 18:6). Then he asked the question, "Nevertheless when the son of man cometh, will he find faith on the earth" (Lk. 18:8)? He was speaking of course of the kind of faith that cries day and night unto the Lord, as he had said. The apostle Paul commanded us to "pray without ceasing,” and also to “pray always with with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints" (I Thess. 5:17; Eph. 6:18). Peter agreed with these things, saying "be ye therefore sober,and watch unto prayer" (I Pet. 4:7). And Jude said that we need to "build up [our] most holy faith, praying in the holy Ghost” [praying in other tongues - I Cor. 14:14,15]. Friend, these are some daunting facts and quotes from people who were truly pillars of the faith, as well as from “the author and finisher of our faith” (Heb. 12:2). If we have any aspiration of coming even remotely close to the faith and power of these beloved souls, I’m certain that we will need to follow their instruction and examples. May God help us to have the motivation and relentlessness to do just that! For, “the kingdom of God suffereth violence, and the violent take it by force" (Mat. 11:12). Amen.