MAR 18

Ephesians 6:18
Memorise 1 Thessalonians 5:17
“… Rejoicing in hope; patient in tribulation; continuing instant in prayer..”

ARE YOU PRAYING WITHOUT CEASING?

Throughout Scripture, there is the constant call for God’s children to pray to Him for our every need. God knows our needs, and has appointed this method wherein God provides for us through prayer. Why has God appointed prayer as such? Why is it that God requires us to pray and to do so continually? And what does it really mean to pray without ceasing?

One very important condition about prayer is found in 1 John 5:15: “And this is the confidence that we have in him, that, if we ask any thing according to his will, he heareth us”. Our prayers must be according to God’s will. What we ask for must be what God has willed. If we ask for what He has not willed then He will not hear us and we may have also sinned in the process in desiring what is wrong, for anything that is not in His will is sin. Hence, taken in the light of our need to pray without ceasing, it means that our wills must be aligned to God’s constantly. To pray without ceasing means that we have to live lives that require us to be constantly in the will of God. We cannot sway or depart from God. Only then is it possible to pray without ceasing.

In the context of service, we need God’s help and this help is given through prayer. Serving God in spiritual matters is not possible if we just rely on our own human strength. Only God can give us the grace and wisdom necessary to serve Him effectively. For us to do that, we need to ask God through prayer to give us what we need for service and to do so, we need to ask God in accordance to His will. Therefore in asking God to provide according to His will, He will answer our prayers and we will truly find help in time of need. The tasks that we perform in service will also be aligned to His will. This should be the ideal state that we should all be found in when we serve. But what happens when this is not followed? What if one does not pray, or one prays amiss and yet continues to serve? This person will not be in the will of God. He will not have God’s help and he will end up serving in his own strength and wisdom. Worldly methods will be used and even if there appears to be success, this success is built on sinking sand. The results will be worldly and unspiritual. Service is no longer a blessing but a curse. We must never be found in such a state.

Thought: Do you consider if your prayer is in His will before you pray?
Prayer: Father, teach me to pray correctly.