Ephesians 6:18
Pray in the Spirit at all times and on every occasion. Stay alert and be persistent in your prayers for all believers everywhere.
In prayer, all we do is be. Hang out with God. Converse with God. Then perhaps ask for what we and others truly need.
How amazingly simple and truly easy is that?
I can think of no other practice with a higher return on investment than prayer, for as Frederica Mathewes-Green wrote, “God works directly on your soul through prayer, not theological rumination.”
In prayer, we are actually absorbing Divine Life. We are, therefore, taking on more and more the mindset of Christ—as much as we allow ourselves at least.
Henry Scougal wrote in 1677:
In prayer we make the nearest approaches to God and lie open to the influences of heaven. Then it is that the sun of righteousness doth visit us with his directest rays, and dissipateth our darkness, and imprinteth his image on our souls.
Once you realize just how powerful prayer is, you almost feel sorry for Satan because there’s nothing he can really do against it. I mean, he tries to inflict damage, but can do nothing really to your soul or connection to God. The only thing that can actually keep you from praying is….you.
If prayer really is quite simple and greatly effective, why do so many Christians struggle to pray “at all times”? Why is there such little time given to prayer in churches on Sundays?
Well, as I’ve thought through this, I believe it mostly boils down to 2 categories:
- We do not actually believe that prayer does anything to affect reality.
- We do not make prayer a priority for whatever reason.
Think through this for yourself to see if it rings true. It could be helpful to diagnose and then repair what may be damaged and contributing to a lack in prayer.