Treasure Prayer

Prayer is an often neglected spiritual discipline. It somehow finds itself on the back-burner until we lay our heads on our pillows at night and find ourselves forgetting in the morning at what part of our prayer we fell asleep. Although we may "talk" to God throughout the day, throwing out quick requests or pleas, the precious privilege of purposeful, private prayer seems to be taken for granted.

I recently had the opportunity to read a work from Andrew Murray about the power of prayer that left me encouraged and exhorted to a prayer revival in my own life. In his work, he explained the privilege we have to come before the Almighty knowing He hears and answers. His encouragement came from biblical texts such as James, that remind us that prayer truly is powerful. I suppose it is for this very reason that it is often neglected. It could be the very reason that we push it aside, find such great temptation to be done in those quiet moments with distractions looming in our mind, and fail to come before the Father as often as we should. The enemy, prowling around like a lion, finds great pleasure in working to make sure that Christian prayer is weak, short, and simple. Even he knows its true power. “We must begin to believe that God, in the mystery of prayer, has entrusted us with a force that can move the Heavenly world, and can bring its power down to earth.”

In prayer, a loving Father listens. Murray puts it this way, "The great thing in prayer is to feel that we are putting our supplications into the bosom of omnipotent love.” And the more we pray, the more our prayers become His prayers. “God cannot hear the prayers on our lips often because the desires of our heart after the world cry out to Him much more strongly and loudly than the our desires for Him.” Our desires will be His desires. And remember He answers! “Ask and you shall receive; everyone that asks receives. This is the fixed eternal law of the kingdom: If you ask and receive not, it must be because there is something amiss or wanting in the prayer. Hold on; let the Word and Spirit teach you to prat aright, but do not let go the confidence he seeks to waken: Everyone who asks receives....Let every learner in the school of Christ therefore take the Master's word in all simplicity....Let us beware of weakening the word with our human wisdom.”

Christian, treasure the privilege of prayer, you can never be on your knees too often.