Prayer is to the spirit of man what oxygen is to the physical body. It is absolutely essential that Christians establish a life of prayer. “And he spake a parable unto them to this end, that men ought always to pray, and not to faint,” Luke 18:1. The absence of prayer in the life of the believer causes him to be spiritually weak, which renders him powerless against the flesh and vicious attacks of Satan. “Watch and pray, that ye enter not into temptation: the spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak,” Matthew 26:41. The Lord Jesus Christ often stole away to pray and seek Father God. He taught his disciples to pray and led by example.
There is so much power in attending church prayer meetings regularly and/or assembling with other believers to pray. Many times, the gifts of the Spirit are manifested in corporate prayer. I cannot tell you how often God has used a brother or sister in Christ during a prayer meeting to encourage me. The more we pray together the stronger we become. Thus, weakening Satan’s power in our lives.
Although it is a biblical practice to pray corporately, prayer is not an outward performance used to show others how spiritual a person is. Prayer in the Christian life is sacred time spent with God Almighty. It is a time of intimacy and communication between the believer and God, during which time the Lord receives worship and the believer is strengthened. Jesus said, “And when you pray, do not be like the hypocrites, for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the street corners to be seen by others. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward in full. But when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you,” Matthew 6:5-6. Notice Jesus did not say, “if you pray” but “when you pray,” denoting that prayer is vital and necessary in the life of the Christian. Not only does God strengthen the believer in prayer, He rewards him for diligently seeking the Lord. That is amazing!
Prayer requires discipline. It is fine to pray on the go and/or with others. However, if we desire to walk in the Spirit, we must have dedicated uninterrupted times alone in prayer and consecration with the Lord. At times, we may need to shut everything and everyone off (including all technical devices) to linger before God until the Spirit releases us. We must learn to listen for the Holy Spirit’s voice and hear Him when He speaks. As we speak to God, the Holy Spirit will speak to us. Remember the Holy Spirit will never speak anything that contradicts the written word of God. Therefore it is imperative that we study and know scripture in addition to living a life of prayer.
“Rejoice evermore. Pray without ceasing.” I Thessalonians 5:16-17
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