I don’t think it would be an overstatement to say that the vast majority of Christians in the West devote very little if any time to prayer on a daily basis, outside of meals and perhaps a moment or two before bed. This is both surprising and unsurprising.
It is surprising because the Bible both encourages and commands the faithful to pray. Consider a few examples: Pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests (Eph. 6:18). Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God (Phil. 4:6). Pray continually (I Thess. 5:17). I urge, then, first of all, that prayers, intercession and thanksgiving be made for everyone (I Tim. 2:1).
It is surprising because some of the greatest promises of the Bible are linked to prayer. Consider just a few from the New Testament: Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you (Mt. 7:7). Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours (Mk. 11:24). And I will do whatever you ask in my name, so that the Son may bring glory to the Father. You may ask me for anything in my name, and I will do it (Jn. 14:12,13). And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus (immediately following the exhortation to pray in Phil. 4:6,7). This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us. And if we know that he hears us – whatever we ask – we know that we have what we asked of him (I Jn. 5:14,15).
It is surprising because Jesus’ life and ministry, as well as those of the apostles were characterized by prayer. Consider once again just a few examples: He went up on a mountainside by himself to pray (Mt. 14:23). Very early in the morning, while it was still dark, Jesus got up, left the house and went off to a solitary place, where he prayed (Mk. 1:35). But Jesus often withdrew to lonely places and prayed (Lk. 5:16). They all joined together constantly in prayer (Acts 1:14). They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer (Acts 2:42). “And we will give our attention to prayer and to the ministry of the word” (Acts 6:4).
It is surprising because many of the most noteworthy saints in Christian history lived lives that were characterized by prayerfullness. It is also surprising because many (if not all) of the great movements of God’s Spirit in Christian history came on the heels of extended and concerted prayerfullness on the part of the saints in a region. One of my professors went so far as to say that God, in His sovereignty, has chosen not to act except in response to the prayers of the faithful.
At the same time, our prayerlessness is not at all surprising. Whereas prayer calls us into silence and solitude, we live in a “media” culture that constantly bombards us with noise and makes us feel insecure about being alone. Whereas prayer requires waiting and persevering, we live in a “microwave” culture that wants results NOW! Whereas God’s response to our prayer may look entirely different from what we asked or expected, we live in a “warranty” culture requiring outcomes and results that are guaranteed. Whereas the fruit of our prayer may never be attributed to our efforts, we live in a “copyright” culture that begs for recognition and compensation.
Our prayerlessness is also unsurprising because of how limited our experience of “need” is. Prayer flows most fluidly and fervently from the lips of one who is in need. Many of us don’t really need much of anything. Or, if we do need something, our instinct is to figure out how we can take care of that need on our own. We tend to be completely unaware of the depth of our spiritual need, satisfied at having been “saved” through faith in Christ and “guaranteed” a place in glory.
What we often don’t realize is that, although we may warm a seat in the church service every Sunday, throughout the week our activity may be characterized by the fruit of fleshly living. As we have discussed at length in this blog, pride seems to be the most obvious evidence of life according to the flesh rather than according to the Spirit.
And it shouldn’t surprise us at all that pride and prayerlessness tend to go hand in hand.
Another way of saying this is that pride and prayerfulness are mutually exclusive. It is impossible for a person whose life is characterized by pride to enjoy a rich and fruitful prayer life. And, it is impossible, when someone is seeking the Lord in prayer, for pride to go unnoticed or unchecked for long.
Unfortunately, it is also impossible for those of us who suffer in the sin of prayerlessness to change our condition in our own strength. Those who try find themselves facing failure and discouragement again and again. The impossibility of this task and how we respond to it will be the subject of a future blog entry.
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