I once heard an elderly man say, “no one wants to talk about prayer.” He recalled over the years hearing countless men and women of God tell him that their calling was to any one of the five-fold ministry positions. He had heard from countless preachers, teachers, prophets and evangelist. Now, he asked the audience, where are the prayers?
Praying is the most under used tools the body of Christ has. Other factions have studied and mastered the art and benefits of prayer. Prayer is the tool that knows no place or time constraints. Prayers are not bound by our finite space-time continuum. We pray to an infinite God who knows no boundaries when it comes to His love for His children, or in His power. Prayer can change minds and place people. The power of prayer is infinite and beyond our understanding as finite human beings.
So why is prayer the most neglected station in the church?
- Prayer is work. – I would never tell anyone that prayer is an easy task. I will say that as you do it more, it will become a better experience every time. The more you spend time with God, the more you want to! Just like our earthly relationship, your relationship with God matures with every day you spend seeking Him.
- Prayer changes things – Even things we weren’t ready to change. We may be busy praying for our spouse who has so wronged us, or our children who are turning all our hairs gray. We pray and we wait for God to fix them, and then God is His infinite wisdom goes and…Fixes us! We find ourselves more joyful, more patient and more full of love. We catch glimpses of our life and remember how a week ago we would’ve definitely blow a fuse behind our kids actions, but now we can thank God for having kids in the first place, clean up and carry on.
- There are no hard fast rules for prayer – If we don’t have landmarks, how will we know we’re going the right way? You will, because it is personal between you and God. Pray for the Holy Spirit to lead your prayers and to intercede for you. You will be surprised as your prayer muscles begin to build.
Prayer is given as the answer throughout the Bible to any problem. Lives have been spared because of prayer. Yes, it is a process. No, it is not the most fun thing at times; however, it is the one tool we all have to reach the Creator of our universe. Go to Him!
