"WHEN WE PRAY..."

“When you pray…” (Matthew 6: 5, 6, 7, etc.)

“I do want to make this clear. The man who does not pray, who does not have even five minutes a day in his own room face to face with God and heart to heart with Christ, is simply playing with his soul. And if he is the father of a family, he may be playing with his children’s souls. I want to ask him: What does he believe? He says he believes in God the Father Almighty. But does he? He says he believes there is such a thing as the soul. Does he? He says he believes we are moving on to eternity. Does he? Has he ever sat down and thought out what a single one of these great beliefs involves for himself and his family, if such are really true? Would not half an hour’s hard, honest thinking about God, his soul, where he shall spend eternity, drive him to his knees?... I am not saying prayer is everything. I am not saying that without prayer a man cannot make a decent show in life at all. But I am saying that without prayer there is no Christian life possible that is worthy of the name! Why? Because it is down the channel of prayer that the power of God gets into a man! And you cannot live the life for which Jesus stands, you cannot love your neighbor as you ought, you cannot keep a spiritual perspective of the world, you cannot accomplish the purpose to which we have been called and sent, without the power of God to help you do it!”

(James S. Stewart – Adapted.)

A prayerless Christian is a contradiction of terms. Again and again in teaching people to live for God, Jesus said, “When you pray.” He assumed all who would know God and who profess to know God would pray.
Prayer is the line of communication between earth and Heaven. Prayer is the life-line that rescues drowning souls. Prayer is the anchor that holds Christians and churches steadfast through storms of life. Prayer is the sharing of our thoughts, the making of our requests, the dreaming of our dreams, and the pouring out of our love to our Heavenly Father. Prayer is the high voltage wire that brings the mighty power of God to His people.
Prayer is to be made in faith and love to the Heavenly Father, in Jesus’ Name, through the Holy Spirit. Where there is no prayer, there is a desert. Where there is no prayer, there is fear. Where there is no prayer, there is weakness. Where there is no prayer, there is sin. Where there is no prayer, there is heresy. Where there is no prayer, there is no beauty, no love, no joy, no peace, no light, no truth.
How can we live without prayer, then? We can’t! Then why do we try?
“When you pray…”


Larry Atkin, Preacher