Do You Pray?

I recently finished a short but extremely insightful book on prayer by J.C. Ryle titled A Call to Prayer. Ryle takes on the task of revealing to his readers that prayer is KEY to the Christian...he even goes as far to say that prayers is VITAL to the Christian's salvation. His entire book revolves around the question...DO YOU PRAY?

Prayer, is a "matter between yourself and God". It is only this act of worship that only God knows whether you are excelling or not in...it isn't seen by anyone, it is the revealing of your heart before your Maker. "To be prayerless is to be without God, without Christ, without grace, without hope, and without heaven. It is to be on the road to hell." How can u have a relationship with someone that you don't talk to? If you were dating someone and you never spent time talking to them or with them how would that work? Your relationship with the Lord is dependent on prayer. It is dependent on the time spent talking with Him...and if there is no desire for it, it begs the question whether or not one is truly saved. "A habit of prayer is one of the surest marks of a true Christian". Look back on all the missionaries,apostles, disciples, and men and women of faith in the past and one thing sticks out...they were men and women of prayer! The were dependent on it.

"I do not deny that a man pray without heart and without sincerity. But this I do say that not praying is a clear proof that a man is not yet a true Christian. He cannot really feel his sins. He cannot love God. He cannot feel himself a debtor to Christ. He cannot long after holiness. he cannot desire heaven. He has yet to be born again. He has yet to be made a new creature. He may boast confidently of election, grace, faith, hope, and knowledge, and deceive ignorant people. But you may rest assure it is all vain talk if he does not pray. And I say furthermore, that of all the evidences of the real work of the Spirit, a habit of heavy prayer is one of the most satisfactory that can be named."

In the "Christian" community there is a lack of private prayer. And what is worse is there are people praying just words. "I believe there are tens of thousands whose prayers are nothing but a mere form, a set of words repeated by rote, without a thought about their meaning". But we must remember that if there is no heart there is no prayer. Why is there such a lack you might ask? Prayer is not a natural thing for humanity. Man in his sinful and wicked heart wants to get as far away from God as possible. Until one is regenerated by the working of the Spirit one will not have this desire to pray.

"Praying and sinning will never live together in the same heart. Prayer will consume sin, or sin will choke prayer".

Ryle goes on to bring encouragement in the fact that we can pray! We have a passport through Jesus to talk to the God of the universe...and in that we can come to Him with "boldness, and ask with confidence". We have an Advocate in Christ and we can pray through the Spirit's power. "Nothing seems to be too great, too hard, or too difficult for prayer to do. It has obtained things that seemed impossible and out of reach. It has won victories over fire, air, earth and water."

We must be diligent in our prayer...this will enable us to advance in our Christian walk. The people that do this rely on their faith and they are unwearied in well doing, "When they fail they try again, and when they fall they are soon up again. And all this time they think themselves poor, unprofitable servants, and fancy they do nothing at all. These are those who make religion lovely and beautiful in the eyes of all. They wrest in praise even from the unconverted and win golden opinions even from the selfish men of the world. I believe that those who are not eminently holy pray little and those who are eminently holy pray much! PRAYER IS POWER."

We are living in a world that is not our own and we are going upstream fighting the devil and his army. The greatest tool against his deceiving tactics is prayer. Therefore we should be praying all the time. If we begin to neglect prayer we will begin to backslide. "You may be very sure men fall in private long before they fall in public. They are backsliders on their knees long before they backslide openly in the eyes of the world."

An encouragement, "prayer is one of the best means of happiness and contentment". Our world is full of sadness, turmoil, pain, discouragement and distress but we as Christians have the ability to take every worry, pain or problem to God in prayer. "The only way to be really happy in a world like this, is to be ever casting all our cares on God. There is a friend ever waiting to help us. Jesus can make those happy who trust Him and call on Him, whatever be their outward condition. Prayer can lighten crosses for us, however heavy." Happiness and prayer go hand in hand.

If you do pray...."be careful about the matter and manner of your prayers". Remember the importance of the following in prayer:

-Reverence and Humility: Ecclesiastes 5:2, "Let us never forget what we are, and what a solemn thing is to speak with God." Remember in His presence we are on Holy ground.

-Spiritually: We should ask for the Spirit's help in our prayers.

-Pray Regularly: "At the very least speak with God in the morning, before you speak with the world: and speak with God at night, after you have done with the world".

-Perseverance: "Once you begin the habit, NEVER give it up. Continue praying without ceasing."

-Earnestness: "But it is desirable that we should be hearty and fervent and warm, and ask as if we were really interested in what we were doing. It is the "effectual fervent" prayer that "availeth much". How truly might God say to us "You do not really want what you pray for" ".

-With Faith: "We should endeavor to believe that our prayers are heard, and that if we ask things according to God's will, they will be answered".

-Boldness: "A boldness that pleads with God like Moses. With such a reverence he sued, as one begging of God, and yet with such hope and assurance, as if he spoke with a loving Father or friend."

- Fullness: You need it! Much to pray for.

- Particularity: "It should not be enough to confess we are sinners: we should name the sins of which our conscience tells us we are more guilty. It should not be enough to ask for holiness; we should name the graces in which we feel most deficient. It should not be enough to tell the Lord we are in trouble; we should describe our trouble and all its peculiarities."

-Intercession: We are selfish in and of ourselves yet we must remember to put others above ourselves. Pray for others.

-Thankfulness: A true prayer must include thankfulness and praise! "We should never open our lips in prayer without blessing God for that free grace by which we live, and for that loving kindness which endureth for ever."


"Prayer is the spiritual pulse. By this the spiritual health may be tested. If you will take care of your prayers, nothing shall go very wrong with your soul."

Do you pray??