The Importance and Neglect of Prayer

The Importance and Neglect of Prayer

            Prayer, that weapon at the disposal of every Christian, is the only thing to which God yields, yet most Christians are so often so guilty of neglecting it.  But why should a child of God kneel down and offer his petitions to an invisible Sovereignty?  Throughout the Scriptures, God clearly commands his children to “pray without ceasing” (1 Thessalonians 5:17) and teaches that prayer is “God’s appointed way for Christians to get things” (Rice, 1942, p. 28). Not only does prayer enable those who utilize it to receive blessings, but it also “opens a whole planet to a man’s activities” and allows an individual to intercede on the behalf of another (Gordon, 1904).  Since prayer is required in Scripture, exists as the means by which one has his needs met, and enables a person to plead to God for someone else, Christians must passionately participate in this spiritual exercise to fight against the strongholds of Satan and build the kingdom of God.

            One would have to be either blind or obstinate to repudiate the claim that nothing is of greater use to a Christian than prayer. Prayer stands alone in its usefulness to a Christian. In it, one receives strength for his daily journey. By beseeching the throne of grace, the wearied pilgrim finds rest and strength to withstand the trials of this life (Dawson, 1942). Prayer is the greatest weapon which the child of God possesses and “the most important lesson we can learn” (Bounds, 1997, p.11). Furthermore, prayer opens up a wide spectrum of results. David Dawson quite astutely noted, “Nothing lies beyond the reach of prayer, except that which lies outside the will of God.” Since God’s nature is to hear and answer prayers, it should be noted that if a saint comes to him with a need or petition, God has obliged himself to supply for that need. Each attribute of God speaks loudly that he is concerned about the actions of a human’s life and desires for us to bombard him with our requests (Rice, 1942). Therefore, Christians ought to place much emphasis on prayer and petitioning. If the church body would rise up and faithfully and fervently employ this unrivaled weapon, the kingdom of God would experience an unparalleled recrudescence and the citadels of Hell would come crumbling down.

            Unfortunately, many Christians do not harness God’s omnipotence. Rather, they rely upon their own strength and ability or, worse, allow lethargy and the attractions of this world to distract them from praying. To understand the awfulness of this negligence, it is vital to highlight that a lack of prayer is more than just a mere weakness or a succumbing to the flesh; it is a sin and a reproach in the eyes of God (Murray, 1967). Andrew Murray remarked prudently about this epidemic: “Let it be our honest desire that, for the future, the sin prayerfulness may be to us truly sinful.” Sadly, this prayerlessness has swept into the churches and affected even those in ministry. At a time when the church, especially the ministry, should be fully engaged in this warfare, many are being weak and cowardly in their faith. Arthur John Gossip remarked about this decline in spirituality: “It is disquieting that at this very time of testing, with immense and clamant problems that will not wait thrusting themselves imperiously upon us, the mass of people seem, for the moment, to have lost their interest in, and appetite for, spiritual things.” Such a sad story it is that the church has squandered so much of its potential. When the church will be the church, and its members fulfill the mandate to pray, God will move and manifest himself in a remarkable manner.

            Nevertheless, Christians will always be guilty for a lack of prayer. This negligence stems from a variety of reasons. One explanation used by individuals who do not frequently pray is that they do not possess sufficient time. However, the excuse of lack of time and distractions hides the root of the issue: the flesh is still being allowed to operate in his or her life. The problem of prayerlessness reveals that the soul of a believer has been plagued by sickness and is on spiritual life support (Murray, 1967). This spiritual “aridity,” discussed by Arthur John Gossip, affects “practically everyone who prays at all in earnest” (sometimes due to unfaithfulness, other times because of physical cause) and, if allowed to run its course, will inevitably lead to spiritual death. For others, an abundance of wealth hinders them from responding to the beckoning call of the prayer closet. Their possessions create in them a feeling that they can buy their way into heaven and, with that mindset, neglect the presence of God (Gossip, 1947). However, the greatest and most serious cause for the prayerlessness of many Christians is unconfessed, or easily besetting, sin. Unconfessed sin prevents people from praying. Although they may attempt to mask their condition with public demonstrations and benevolence, their prayer closet is void and empty, cold and lacking (Gossip, 1947). Christians should return to placing a greater emphasis on prayer and be more concerned with spending time in God’s presence and less about other seemingly trivial tasks. If the church rises to the challenge of consecration and prayer, she will assuredly experience a mighty change in the spiritual fervor of her congregation.

            It is rather encouraging to consider that the church is one generation from altering the importance she places upon prayer and the devoted life. If one generation of Christians will pray earnestly, God has promised in his Word to hear the passionate plea and respond accordingly (2 Chronicles 7:14). However, if one generation of Christians will reject this vast need, the Church will become backslidden and extinct. E. M. Bounds (1997) wisely pointed out, “Little prayer is the characteristic of a backslidden church and of a backslidden age. Whenever there is little praying in the pulpit or in the pew, spiritual bankruptcy is imminent and inevitable” (p. 100). When Christians begin to utilize their powerful privilege, God will respond in an immeasurable way, strengthen the body of Christ, and empower his people to do service for him.

References

Bounds, E. M. (1997). E. M. Bounds on Prayer. New Kensington, PA: Whitaker House.

Dawson, David (1942). More Power in Prayer. Grand Rapids, Michigan: Zondervan Publishing House.

Gordon, S. D. (1904). Quiet Talks on Prayer. New York, New York: Fleming H. Revell Company.

Gossip, Arthur John (1947). In the Secret Place of the Most High. New York, New York: Charles Scribner’s Sons.

Murray, Andrew (1967). The Prayer Life. Chicago, Illinois: Moody Press.

Rice, John (1942). Prayer: Asking and Receiving. Murfreesboro, Tennessee: Sword of the Lord Publishers.