” Also [Jesus] told them a parable to the effect that they ought always to pray and not to turn coward (faint, lose heart, and give up).”
Luke 18:1
In learning about prayer, we can look at the LORD JESUS as a perfect example. He himself taught us to pray always, and he himself prayed. Mark 1:35 says ” *And in the morning, rising up a great while before day, he went out, and departed into a solitary place, and there prayed.” Now, this is inspiring. This man had come down from heaven, God had publicly declared him his son by a voice that thundered at his baptism, he was not in any problem or in need of anything for himself BUT HE ROSE UP A GREAT WHILE BEFORE DAY AND WENT OUT TO A SOLITARY PLACE TO PRAY. If the LORD JESUS needed prayer to be effective and we are indeed born after him, then we will be deceiving ourselves to think we can be effective without it.
The Apostles and the early church through whom we have received the scriptures prayed, and they also taught us to pray. In Acts 6:4 they said ” But we will give ourselves continually to prayer, and to the ministry of the word.” They refused to be distracted from the ministry of prayer and the ministry of the word through too many activities. It is possible to be running around doing all things for the church and not finding enough time to pray. People get busy planning programmes, but without a busy closet, there is no effectiveness. The Apostles did not only pray individually, they met together and prayed. Many times, people would rather meet to discuss challenges and strategise but never to take quality time to pray. In Acts 3, we read that Peter and John met that beggar on their way to the prayer meeting. Dr Luke, who wrote the book of Acts, said in the 16th verse of Chapter 16 of his letter , “And it came to pass, as we went to prayer…* These men not only prayed at home, they went for prayer. Notice, he was not alone because he said We, that includes Paul who then rebuked the devil from a girl who was possessed with the spirit of divination. Acts 16:25 says ” And at midnight Paul and Silas prayed, and sang praises unto God: and the prisoners heard them.” Even in great trial, the Apostles prayed, it seems the early church’s main activities were ministering the word and prayer.
In many places, prayer takes only 15 minutes of the program whilst talking to one another is majored on. The greatest thing in the world is not hearing any preacher but having the privilege to hear God speak to your heart with noone else involved. Many, however, still want the Old Testament approach of hearing God only through a prophet . Reading the bible without taking time to pray makes one legalistic just like the Pharisees. If you take out prayer from the church, you are going to have nothing but a lecture theatre or a magic hall. It is through prayer that the church exchanges information (communicates) with the LORD. We tell him what we are doing (not because he doesn’t know), and he tells us what he wants done and how. Sometimes, we just assemble in his presence to enjoy a rich fellowship celebrating and enjoying the glory of being a family. Not praying is like having a father you never talk to. He remains your father, yes, but you don’t receive his love without communication.
