Who Can Become a Man or a Woman of Prayer?

There is an assumption among many that prayer is a gift for few; not all can become men and women of prayer; it is a sacred communion which only few are privileged to enjoy. This belief may sound convincing to us when we witness so many prayerless people around us. However, such a notion is unfound in the New Testament where all believers are declared priests of God (1 Pet. 2:9).

Call to All to Pray

Consider carefully the following Scriptures:

• Ephesians 6:18, “And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests.”
  
• 1 Thessalonians 5:17, “Pray without ceasing.” In other words, “Pray at all times” or “Pray continually.”
• The Lord Jesus even shared a parable so that we would always pray and not lose heart (Luke 18:1).

To whom are the above Scriptures addressed? Not to Christian workers. Not to monks. Not to few people who specialize in prayer. These exhortations were given to the whole people of God. All believers are called to live a life of prayer, to pray continually.

Every disciple of Christ is called to be a prayer warrior—a man and woman of prayer. I don’t see anywhere in the Scripture that praying always is a gift. Indeed, it is a command. It is a call for all to walk in intimacy with God.

Some of us presume that only the apostles devoted themselves to prayer, as they expressed in Acts 6:4, “But we will devote ourselves to prayer and to the ministry of the word." What we don’t notice is that even the whole church, all believers, were exhorted to do likewise, “Devote yourselves to prayer, being watchful and thankful” (Col. 4:2).

Do not we also see that the early believers devoted themselves to the prayers? (Acts 2:42) It seems quite uncommon and unusual to modern Christianity where strong spiritual disciplines are watered down by lose standards of spirituality. Nevertheless, to the early church, prayer was a natural phenomenon. It was inconceivable to them to be a Christian and not be a person of prayer.

Dear brothers and sisters, we are called to pray without ceasing. We are not called to pray for one hour or two hours or five hours but to pray at all times. And if there are few praying people, it is not because they are more gifted; it is because they are more obedient and disciplined.

O, how few of us have become obedient to God’s word by mastering and educating ourself in the school of prayer!

Isolated Time to Pray

Some say, “Since we have to pray at all times, we don’t have to take special time for prayer.” This isn’t true. Praying at all times doesn’t mean there is no need for special time of prayer, particularly for morning devotions or quiet times.

Our Lord Jesus was a man of prayer, praying at all times. Yet He had a special time and place for prayer. It is recorded in Mark 1:35, “And rising very early in the morning, while it was still dark, he departed and went out to a desolate place, and there he prayed.” It is also written in Luke 5:16, “But Jesus often withdrew to lonely places and prayed.”

Why did the Lord Jesus go to a secluded place to pray when He was in constant communion with the Father?

This shows there is a need for special time and place for prayer as well as for prayer at all times and on all occasions. There is a requirement for focused time of prayer and also frequent times of prayer. Prayer has both a special time and usual times. A person of prayer has a place to pray and also prays in all places.

Moreover, I see that our morning devotional prayer time equips us to be prayerful throughout the day. If we fail to pray in our quiet time, we fail to pray at all times. And if we fail to pray at all times, we find it difficult to stay focused on God in our quiet time.

Praying for All Saints 

I remember once a person instructing me something profound. I will put his thought in my own words – “If you want to become a man of prayer, pray less for yourself and pray more for others.” True, none can exceed in prayer by praying more for himself; only a person who prays more for others will thrive in prayer. A selfish person can never become a man or a woman of prayer.

Some wonder, “How can I pray at all times?” To be honest, if we think about praying only for ourself and for our needs, we don’t have much to pray always. Give careful attention to these words of Scripture, “And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the saints” (Eph. 6:18).

We are exhorted to pray at all times by praying for all the saints.

Take note of this fact—whenever Paul acknowledged of praying always [day and night] it was in the context of praying for the saints [believers] in the church [see. Rom. 1:9-10; Eph. 1:16; Phi. 1:4; Col. 1:9; 1Thess. 1:2).

Paul could pray always because his heart was for people. He could not stop praying because he could not stop loving people.

When we think about the needs of our church people, the lost souls around us, our families and friends, the needs in missions—we realize there is so much for us to pray. Always praising God and thanking Him, and always praying more for others will help us to pray always (1 Thess. 5:16-18). 

Final Words

Prayer is not an event, although we have special times of focused prayer. Prayer is essentially a lifestyle. Just as breathing is constant, so is prayer. We don’t breathe occasionally, for we will die. We shouldn’t pray occasionally, for we will die spiritually. We are called and commanded to pray at all times.

Therefore, whether we lie on the bed or walk on the road, whether we are at home or at workplace, whether we are in a church building or in a shopping mall, whether we play or travel, whether we are in isolation or in crowd, whether we are silent or in some conversation, whether in good times or bad times—let us all cultivate the discipline of being in prayer at all times by always praising God and interceding for the saints of God.

To the question, "Who can become a man or a woman of prayer?", the answer is, "EVERY BELIEVER CAN BECOME A MAN OR A WOMAN OF PRAYER." What makes them and shapes them to become such a person is focus, discipline, perseverance, and above all, passionate love for God and for people.

May the God of love draw our hearts closer to Him, giving us the privilege and pleasure of enjoying His presence in our daily life, at all times. Amen.

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