Prayer Pt.3

16 Rejoice always, 17 pray continually, 18 give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.

1 Thessalonians 5:16-18

Let’s do a quick recap of last Tuesday and Saturday’s blog. Prayer is calling on the name of the Lord for Him to keep His promises. It’s to ask Him to save us and others from our sins. It's to call on Him to restore all things according to His purposes.

Let’s contrast for a moment with what prayer is not. Prayer is not a weapon to be used against people. We don’t call down curses on our enemies. But neither is it the hotel room phone - designed for room service to attend to our every need.

But the purpose of prayer points us to its significance. Some gifts are trivial things. Undies are useful. A new putter (golf-club) would be nice. But the gift of prayer is something entirely different. It’s like a walkie-talkie with direct access to God.

And the need to use it is desperate. Every day people in our community are going to hell. Every day people in our community are sinning against God and one another. Every day people aren’t giving God the glory and worship He deserves and they are missing out on the joy that comes with living for Him.

That’s why Paul says. Pray continually. He means, all the time. Pray all the time. Pray in the morning. Pray at night. Pray in the car. Pray as you walk. Pray before you start work and after you finish. Pray at the gym. Pray. 

For Today:

• How often do you think it’s ideal to pray?
• What stops you from praying more regularly?
• What is one thing you could do to pray more often?

Pray:

• Praise the Father that He hears our prayers.
• Give thanks for Jesus Christ who gives us reason to pray.
• Ask God for His Holy Spirit to help you and others pray more often.