Saturday, 5 March 2022
AN EFFECTIVE PRAYER LIFE
Then He spoke a parable to them, that men always ought to pray and not lose heart (Luke 18:1 NKJV).
The Lord Jesus was very prayerful when He walked the earth. The Bible says, “And in the morning, rising up a great while before day, he went out, and departed into a solitary place, and there prayed” (Mark 1:35). In another instance, Luke recorded that “…he went out into a mountain to pray, and continued all night in prayer to God” (Luke 6:12). He had an effective prayer life, which the Bible enjoins us to emulate.
He said in Luke 18:1, “...men ought always to pray, and not to faint.” The Apostle Paul reiterated the same thing; he said, “Pray without ceasing” (1 Thessalonians 5:17). In 1 Timothy 2:8, he said, “I will therefore that men pray everywhere, lifting up holy hands, without wrath and doubting.” This is God’s admonition to us. We’re to live a life of prayer. How important this is!
Having an effective prayer life isn’t just so we could fulfil some religious obligations, no! This is where a lot of people miss it. First, prayer is a privilege; it’s a right given to us to communicate with the Father in faith, through His Word, and by the Holy Ghost. That opportunity that’s given to us to pray is something the Father always wants us to seize.
Secondly, when Jesus said men ought always to pray and not to faint, He was looking at the connection that we have with the Father in our constant communication that builds faith. Faith comes by hearing the Word (Romans 10:17). Through that fellowship, we keep hearing the Word because the Father always speaks; He always talks to us; He always shares His Word with us.
That’s why Paul taught us to pray, “The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the communion of the Holy Ghost, be with you all. Amen” (2 Corinthians 13:14). The word “communion” is translated from the Greek “Koinonia”, which also means fellowship. Learn to take time away from everything else to talk to the Lord in prayer; it’ll bring an extraordinary transformation into your life that you never thought possible.
PRAYER: Dear Father, I thank you for the extraordinary benefit of an effective prayer life. I take advantage of the privilege and opportunity of prayer; I pray in the authority of the Word and its revelation and insight. Even now, I pray for men everywhere, proclaiming the favour of God and dominion of righteousness over the nations and their leaders, in Jesus’ Name. Amen.
FURTHER STUDY:
Ephesians 6:18; John 15:7 & 16
1-YEAR BIBLE READING PLAN: Mark 11:1-26 & Numbers 16-17
2-YEAR BIBLE READING PLAN: Acts 24:10-21 & Psalm 57-58