When was the last time you truly spent time on your knees praying for something? Not the quick little prayer uttered before meal or the “good night prayer” offered before your head hits the pillow. When was the last time you spent time in a real labor of prayer?
The church today is marked by prayerlessness and I wonder if it is because we have forgotten that prayer is actually powerful and effective. It moves mountains, changes nations, and transforms cultures. In short, prayer is powerful.
And yet, if our prayer lives were examined, any onlooker would likely conclude the opposite – they would discover something that is nonexistent or lacking any vigor, passion, or belief.
Granted, I am not talking about EVERY Christian, but it does appear to be the norm for today.
Alan Redpath once wrote:
The victories won by prayer,
By prayer must still be held;
The foe retreats, but only when
By prayer he is compelled.
We will only advance in our evangelistic work as fast and as far as we advance on our knees. Prayer opens the channel between a soul and God; prayerlessness closes it. Prayer releases the grip of Satan’s power; prayerlessness increases it.
That is why prayer is so exhausting and so vital. If we believed it, the prayer meeting would be as full as the church.
I think Redpath was right.
Do we prefer to fill our evenings with movies and popcorn or an evening full of genuine anguish-filled prayer?
May God work in you and I that we would prefer prayer over popularity and pop culture.
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