“Brothers and sisters, pray for us”
In his letters Paul asks for many things for others… forgiveness for Onesimus… funds for various churches… kindness to each other… But the only thing Paul ask for himself from other Christians was prayer.
Does your love for others cause you to pray for them? How often do you pray for your wife?... your children? …your friends? And how much do you depend on prayer from others? … Do you really desire other believers praying for you, or do you prefer they simply fund your projects? The answer to those questions depends on your opinion of prayer.
My Buddy Bruce Hayes was a lifelong teacher and coach and in every one of his classrooms he would post 3 letters “CWM”. Every student knew what they meant, “Chase what matters”.
Jesus thought prayer mattered. So much so that He “would often slip away to the wilderness and pray” (Luke 5:16). How often do you slip away to talk with God? That’s important because prayer is powerful, and the enemy would prefer us to do almost anything rather than pray.
Can you be described as a man of prayer? … Are you a man after God’s own heart? Or do you chase trinkets, and delegate God to Sunday morning?
Is God so big to me that I believe the greatest gift you can give me is to pray for me?… That should be my first, and main request… If I had the slightest understanding of the power of prayer, I would provide it for those I love and request it from them continuously.
Busy work for God without prayer is like sitting in a Ferrari without any gas… a pathetic negligence of power. If you put fuel in the engine, you will unlock a new level of power and closeness to God that you have never known.
So, like Paul, I would ask you to pray for me… pray that I learn to pray out of freedom not just discipline.
Prayer and scripture are how you grow … asking which is more important is like asking whether breathing in, or breathing out is more important… Prayer matters – Chase it with all your heart.
“Prayer itself is an art which only the Holy Ghost can teach us. He is the giver of all prayer. Pray for prayer- pray till you can pray.” – Charles Spurgeon
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