The importance of prayer
Friday, August 31, 2007
I have been struck more and more recently on the importance of prayer within ministry. I want to post some of my thoughts here, to hear from others, to generally chew the cud.
Let's start with Romans 12:12:
... rejoicing in hope, persevering in tribulation, devoted to prayer ...
What's remarkable about the word devoted is that five of the ten New Testament uses apply to prayer. Apart from Romans 12:12 there are:
- Acts 1:14 (after the ascension of Jesus while the disciples were waiting in Jerusalem for the outpouring of the Spirit), "These all with one mind were continually devoting themselves to prayer, along with the women, and Mary the mother of Jesus, and with His brothers."
- Acts 2:42 (Of the early converts in Jerusalem), "They were continually devoting themselves to the apostles' teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer."
- Acts 6:4 (The apostles say), "But we will devote ourselves to prayer and to the ministry of the word."
- Colossians 4:2 (Paul says to all of us), "Devote yourselves to prayer, keeping alert in it with an attitude of thanksgiving."
So we may say from the New Testament scriptures that the normal Christian life is a life devoted to prayer. And so as we look at our life we need to ask "Am I devoted to prayer?"
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