THE IMPORTANCE OF PRAYER

Luke 11:1

Morning Meditation 4/5/2013

"And it came to pass, that, as he was praying in a certain place, when he ceased, one of his disciples said unto him, Lord, teach us to pray, as John also taught his disciples."

There is more said about prayer from pulpits, and more talk about prayer among Christians, than most subjects. One would think since this is true that there would be a lot of praying. But the fact remains that there is very little praying going on in our churches and by Christians individually.

Bro. Frank Jones on June 22, 2001, in his daily exhortation called MERCY & TRUTH quoted Spurgeon from his message THE GREATEST FIGHT IN THE WORLD C.H. SPURGEON'S "FINAL MANIFESTO," page 28, "If a church is to be what it ought to be for the purposes of God, we must train it in the holy art of prayer. Churches without prayer-meetings are grievously common. Even if there were only one such, it would be one to weep over. In many churches the prayer-meeting is only the skeleton of a gathering: the form is kept up, but the people do not come. There is no interest, no power, in connection with the meeting. Oh, my brothers, let it not be so with you! Do train the people to continually meet together for prayer. Rouse them to incessant supplication. There is a holy art in it. Study to show yourselves approved by the prayerfulness of your people. If you pray yourself, you will want them to pray with you; and when they begin to pray with you, and for you, and for the work of the Lord, they will want more prayer themselves, and the appetite will grow. Believe me, if a church does not pray, it is dead. Instead of putting united prayer last, put it first. Everything will hinge upon the power of prayer in the church."

This is what Spurgeon, the prince of preachers, said about the importance of prayer in the church. This was written in the late 1800's.

I want to say a few things about prayer that I hope will help me and others who recognize the importance of prayer -- yet spend a very little time in the exercise of prayer.

WHAT CONNECTION DID JESUS MAKE CONCERNING HIS HOUSE AND PRAYER?

Mark 11:15-17 says, "And they come to Jerusalem: and Jesus went into the temple, and began to cast out them that sold and bought in the temple, and overthrew the tables of the moneychangers, and the seats of them that sold doves; And would not suffer that any man should carry any vessel through the temple. And he taught, saying unto them, Is it not written, My house shall be called of all nations the house of prayer? but ye have made it a den of thieves."

I have known of many Christians who would actually cause trouble in the church of their membership if that church allowed good books or tapes of sermons and Christian music to be made available. And they used this verse to try to prove their point. I guess they thought they were standing for the faith. I get suspicious of a person that makes a loud noise about things like this. I have asked pastors who have had problems with people like this, "Do you know how much time that person spends in prayer?" The pastor usually answers, "I don't think very much. Every time I call on him to pray, he prays about the same thing he prayed last time. And I have never heard him give a testimony that God had answered one of his prayers." That's interesting isn't it? I don't think that we should make a fuss over selling good books, sermons on tape, and music in the church unless we are going to spend 10 or 12 hours a week in the church in prayer so that the church gets the reputation of being a "House of Prayer."

Luke 3:21-22, "Now when all the people were baptized, it came to pass, that Jesus also being baptized, and praying, the heaven was opened, And the Holy Ghost descended in a bodily shape like a dove upon him, and a voice came from heaven, which said, Thou art my beloved Son; in thee I am well pleased."

Luke 6:12, "And it came to pass in those days, that he went out into a mountain to pray, and continued all night in prayer to God."

You know, if Jesus spent an entire night in prayer, how much more do I need to do the same? As a young preacher, I was asked to bring the chapel message in our school. I mentioned that I and some preachers had spent an entire night in prayer to God asking His blessing upon our ministries. The president of the school at that time made an issue out of that part of my sermon. He said that he did not believe that anyone had enough to pray about that would take that long. He asked what we prayed about? I said we confessed our sins as the Lord brought them to our minds, we prayed for God's blessings upon our lives, and special requests that were made. He said we must be a bunch of terrible sinners to need to confess sins that would take that long. His attitude did upset me but I respected his position and age and I terminated the conversation. I had always wondered why he was so dry in his preaching. I knew after that encounter.

WHAT WAS THE PRACTICE OF THE EARLY CHURCH CONCERNING PRAYER?

After out Lord's resurrection he spent about forty days with the disciples in a post resurrection ministry. Then He was caught up to heaven promising to come again. He told them to tarry in Jerusalem until they were endued with power from on high. What did they do while they waited for the coming of the Holy Spirit?

Acts 1:12-14 says, "Then returned they unto Jerusalem from the mount called Olivet, which is from Jerusalem a sabbath day's journey. And when they were come in, they went up into an upper room, where abode both Peter, and James, and John, and Andrew, Philip, and Thomas, Bartholomew, and Matthew, James the son of Alphaeus, and Simon Zelotes, and Judas the brother of James. These all continued with one accord in prayer and supplication, with the women, and Mary the mother of Jesus, and with his brethren."

I believe that this describes what the disciples did after the ascension while they waited in obedience to the Lord's command. They prayed. How many prayed? Acts 1:15 says, "And in those days Peter stood up in the midst of the disciples, and said, (the number of names together were about an hundred and twenty)" One hundred and twenty was a good size prayer meeting when you consider the size of the church at that time.

After Peter's message on Pentecost and the addition of three thousand to the membership of the Church we are told in Acts 2:42, "And they continued steadfastly in the apostles' doctrine and fellowship, and in breaking of bread, and in prayers."

When they got ready to select a man to fill the office of apostleship vacated by the suicide of Judas, they prayed. Acts 1:24 says, "And they prayed, and said, Thou, Lord, which knowest the hearts of all men, shew whether of these two thou hast chosen," Prayer was the link of the early church with her Lord. They picked out two men who were Scripturally qualified to fulfill the office of an apostle but the final choice came in answer to prayer. They knew one of these men was chosen of the Lord. So they sought Him in prayer.

They had a set time for prayer. Acts 3:1 says, "Now Peter and John went up together into the temple at the hour of prayer, being the ninth hour."

When they got in trouble they prayed and God answered. Acts 4:31 says, "And when they had prayed, the place was shaken where they were assembled together; and they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and they spake the word of God with boldness."

WHAT HAD JESUS TAUGHT THE DISCIPLES ABOUT PRAYER?

Jesus taught His disciples about prayer in the Sermon on The Mount. Matthew 5:44 says, "But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you;" Our Lord's teaching in this verse is not an easy one to practice. But who said obedience to the Lord was going to be easy?

Now this does not mean when you pray for your enemies, and for those who despitefully use you, and persecute you, that you pray for God to kill them!!! We are to pray for their salvation.

James and John had the spirit of judgment when men refused the message of Christ. Luke 9:52-56 says, "And (Jesus) sent messengers before his face: and they went, and entered into a village of the Samaritans, to make ready for him. And they did not receive him, because his face was as though he would go to Jerusalem. And when his disciples James and John saw this, they said, Lord, wilt thou that we command fire to come down from heaven, and consume them, even as Elias did? But he turned, and rebuked them, and said, Ye know not what manner of spirit ye are of. For the Son of man is not come to destroy men's lives, but to save them. And they went to another village."

Jesus taught persistence in prayer. He did this in Luke 18:1-8, "And he spake a parable unto them to this end, that men ought always to pray, and not to faint; Saying, There was in a city a judge, which feared not God, neither regarded man: And there was a widow in that city; and she came unto him, saying, Avenge me of mine adversary. And he would not for a while: but afterward he said within himself, Though I fear not God, nor regard man; Yet because this widow troubleth me, I will avenge her, lest by her continual coming she weary me. And the Lord said, Hear what the unjust judge saith. And shall not God avenge his own elect, which cry day and night unto him, though he bear long with them? I tell you that he will avenge them speedily. Nevertheless when the Son of man cometh, shall he find faith on the earth?" When Jesus teaches by parable, He uses illustrations from nature and things with which those to whom He speaks are thoroughly familiar. He goes from the natural to Spiritual. He uses things seen to illustrate things that cannot be seen. There is also a prediction in this parable concerning Christians in the last days. He says, "Nevertheless when the Son of man cometh, shall he find faith on the earth?"

I do not know many people, including myself, who stay with the kind of persistence that this poor widow had.

CAN WE EXPECT THE MIRACULOUS IN ANSWER TO PRAYER TODAY?

Here is a promise Jesus made to His disciples just prior to His death. He says in John 14:12-14, "Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on me, the works that I do shall he do also; and greater works than these shall he do; because I go unto my Father. And whatsoever ye shall ask in my name, that will I do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If ye shall ask any thing in my name, I will do it."

Do we believe that these words of Christ apply to the church today? If there is any inconsistency between my prayer life and these promises, the fault in not with God refusing to honor this promise, the fault is with me.

Isaiah 34:16, "Seek ye out of the book of the LORD, and read: no one of these shall fail, none shall want her mate: for my mouth it hath commanded, and his spirit it hath gathered them." The Lord invites us to seek His promises out of "the book of the LORD." He invites us to "read" them. His promise is "no one of these shall fail." He promises that "none shall want her mate." Then He gives the reason in the words, "for my mouth it hath commanded, and his spirit it hath gathered them."

Isaiah teaches by inspiration of God that God will keep all His promises. The problem is finding someone who will believe those promises. Bruce Wilkinson said in his book THE PRAYER OF JABEZ, "God's bounty is limited only by us, not by His resources, power, or willingness to give."

He also has a good definition of a miracle, "A miracle is an intervention by God to make something happen that wouldn't normally happen." It is not always going contrary to natural law. When Jesus stilled the storm, He didn't set aside universal law -- the storm would eventually have subsided on its own. Instead, He directed the weather pattern. What I am saying is that when we ask God for a miracle, the answer does not always set aside natural law. But when He answers, things happen that would not have otherwise happened. And the one praying recognizes it as being from God. It is very humbling and exciting to see God work with you in your laboring together with Him. When He answers prayer, it means He manifests His unseen presence. Things happen that would not have otherwise happened.

May the Lord encourage our hearts to pray more and make it a priority in our lives. May we see God working in the present tense of our lives. God is not dead. He isn't even sick. He is alive and well and will definitely manifest His presence and power in answer to believing prayer.

In Christ

Bro. White