Monday, March 16, 2009

Persevere in the Practice of Daily Prayer

In the last number of months, with the demands of ministry and the obligations of school I have been reminded that I must persevere in the practice of daily prayer. This is the primary duty for all Christians—the businessman, the mother-at-home, the college student, the Jr and Sr High kid, and especially the pastor.

All believers must make it a daily ambition to pray to God. Prayer energizes the soul with a firm and steadfast trust in the Lord and His Sovereignty. Prayer reminds the sinner that He is not in control, the Almighty Omnipotent is. Prayer expresses to God that which we are unable and incapable of doing in our own strength and ability. But what a confident assurance every genuine Christian has, namely, God has all ability to accomplish anything to bring Him the greatest glory and to conform each of His children (i.e. “Christians”) to the image of Jesus Christ.

A prayerless Christian is an oxymoron—it cannot nor does it exist. A prayerless preacher of the gospel ought to step out of full-time ministry. Any person claiming God to be his Master and who neglects the Christian (essential) discipline of prayer is a prideful and arrogant person who thinks he can live the Christian life in his own (feeble, human, and fallen) strength. May we take the verses to mind from Paul’s letter to the church in Colossae:

Colossians 1:9-14 9 For this reason also, since the day we heard of it, we have not ceased to pray for you and to ask that you may be filled with the knowledge of His will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding, 10 so that you may walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, to please Him in all respects, bearing fruit in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God; 11 strengthened with all power, according to His glorious might, for the attaining of all steadfastness and patience; joyously 12 giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified us to share in the inheritance of the saints in light. 13 For He delivered us from the domain of darkness, and transferred us to the kingdom of His beloved Son, 14 in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.

Let us persevere in the practice of daily prayer!

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