The Secret of Praying without Ceasing

The Lord has opened my eyes this morning to realize the secret of praying without ceasing. May the Spirit of God open your eyes too as you read the following words. 

Every true believer of the Lord Jesus Christ has a passion in his or her heart to live a life of prayer. They sincerely desire to obey these Scriptures:

• “Pray without ceasing” (1 Thess. 5:17).
• “And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests” (Eph. 6:18).

Although we know in our heart about the significance of praying without ceasing, many of us struggle to put into practice in daily life. Some of us even think, “Is it really a practical thing to pray without ceasing? Does God’s word has relevant exhortations?”

Of course, to pray without ceasing doesn’t mean we have to shut ourselves in a room and be in prayer 24 hours. It doesn’t even mean we should not miss a second to pray wherever we are and whatever we do.

What it does mean is that we should pray constantly and regularly.

Prayer should be a predominant activity of our daily life. We may not pray every second, but we can pray in every occasion during the day. We may not pray every time we breathe, but we can pray frequently during the day. We may not pray without interruption at all but we can pray intermittently during the day.

However, we know, even to pray in this way is a great challenge. How can we pray so much? What is there to pray about at all times? How can we be constant in prayer? How is it possible for prayer to reign our daily life?

Here is the secret.

Secret of Praying without Ceasing

It is written, “And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests” (Ephesians 6:18a). To put in other words, Paul is saying, "Pray continually in the Spirit with all kinds of prayers and requests."

And then we stop here.

That’s the problem.

Here is where we fail.

Now, let us go ahead and complete the verse: “To that end keep alert with all perseverance, making supplication for all the saints” (Ephesians 6:18b). In other words, “Keeping this mind, i.e. praying in the Spirit on all occasions…, always keep praying for all the Lord’s people.”

Have you observed the secret? Knowing that we have to pray in the Spirit on all occasions, we are told to pray for all the saints of God, for His church, for His people.

[Agreed, this doesn't mean we have to pray for every person in the universal church. That's impossible. But we can pray regularly for the members of our local church, also for other believers whom God has brought into our lives, for revival in the local churches, even for those whom we don't know and are facing persecution because of their faith in Christ.]

It is not personal petitions which makes a man or a woman of prayer; it is intercession for God’s people. To be prayer-centered we need to be people-focused. We can only pray without ceasing when our focus is on the people of God and continually uphold them before the Throne of Grace.

If we pray for ourself, we pray little, for we cannot keep on praying for ourself. But when we pray for God’s people, since there are many people of God with many struggles and needs, we will be driven to pray more and more and more.

To be a person of prayer, we have to be a man and a woman of people. When we grow in our passion for God’s church, when we are concerned for the welfare of the people of God, when our heart is burdened to see the move of God in the lives of His people, we cannot but pray, pray and pray.

Paul—A Man of Prayer

Have you observed the prayers of Paul? I urge you to do so now carefully.

• “For God is my witness, whom I serve with my spirit in the gospel of his Son, that without ceasing I mention you always in my prayers” (Rom. 1:9-10).
• “I do not cease to give thanks for you, remembering you in my prayers” (Eph. 1:16).
• “…always in every prayer of mine for you all making my prayer with joy” (Phi. 1:4).
• “And so, from the day we heard, we have not ceased to pray for you” (Col. 1:9).
• “We give thanks to God always for all of you, constantly mentioning you in our prayers” (1 Thess. 1:2).

Did you notice something profound in these Scriptures?

Paul prayed without ceasing. He prayed constantly. He prayed on all occasions. But how could he do this? Not by praying more for himself. The focus is not ‘self’. In every verse it is plain—he was praying for God’s people.

Paul could pray more because he prayed more for God’s people. None can exceed in prayer by praying more for himself; only a person who prays more for others will thrive in prayer. A self-focused person can never become a man or a woman of prayer.

Final Words

The cause for prayerlessness is selfishness. The motivation for prayerfulness is others-centeredness. The secret of prayer without ceasing is to cease focusing on ‘self’ in prayer and commence focusing on the people of God.

Both the Scripture and church history testifies that all men and women who were known for their life of prayer were those who poured their hearts in praying for God's people and for His purposes in the world.

O, let me tell you—when we grow in our prayers for the children of God, the Holy Spirit would be greatly delighted to lead us to pray without ceasing, for He rejoices in those who care for the church of God for which Christ bought by His blood.

If we ask God to burden our hearts to pray for His people, He would guide us tremendously to pray according to His will. It is in learning to pray for others that we would learn to pray in the Spirit.

Remember, God has no interest in drawing people closer to Himself who only think and cling to themselves. Those who stay close to His heart are those whose heart is for God and for His people.

When we think about the needs of our church people, the lost souls around us, the needs in missions, the persecution of believers in gospel restricted places—we realize there is so much for us to pray. When we pray for God’s people, we realize we can never pray enough.

Let me end with these words—always praising God and thanking Him in everything and always praying more for others in the Spirit will help us to pray without ceasing.

May the Living God help us!

_________________________________________

Enquiries: 

cstephendavid@gmail.com (or) messageforourage@gmail.com

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.

_________________________________________

Enquiries: 

cstephendavid@gmail.com (or) messageforourage@gmail.com

Do We Take Things More Easily or More Seriously?

One of the fascinating things we remember about our Christian life is our ardent passion for God when we had come to know Christ as our personal Savior and Lord. In retrospect, many of us express how passionate we were during the early stage of our Christian life, how we used to pray and meditate on God’s word and how eager we were to share the gospel with others.

But what happened as the years went by? Should we say we have become cold in our heart, lukewarm in our passion to live for God and lazy in disciplining our inner life? Did we become more worldly than godly in our passions and pursuits? Did we begin taking things that matter for eternity "more easily"?

There are some, in fact there are many—when they become more familiar with the knowledge about God and with His word, instead of developing more craving for Him and longing to live for His glory, they slide into frivolous attitude toward spiritual disciplines. Can we dare say we do not belong to such group?

But there are those—when it comes to God, to the knowledge of His glorious splendor and to the advancement of His kingdom—they become more reverential towards God, develop more seriousness in their commitment to serve Him and grow more in their hunger for Him by disciplining their daily walk with God. John Wesley and Charles Simeon are stalwarts of such commitment, discipline and diligence.

John Wesley [1703-1791] is said to have travelled two hundred and fifty thousand miles on horseback, preached forty thousand sermons during his lifetime and produced hundreds of pieces of literature. At the age of eight-three, he was angry because his doctor wouldn’t let him preach more than fourteen times a week. In his journal entry at age eighty-six, Wesley wrote, “Laziness is slowly creeping in. There is an increasing tendency to stay in bed after five-thirty in the morning.” (Cries of the Heart, pg. 48)

I wonder how many of us feel ashamed for waking up late and neglecting to have consistent and adequate early morning devotions! In their busy life to make more money and in their ambition to become more successful, don't you think many have become desensitized to godly passions and sluggish in godly disciplines?

Even at the age eighty-eight, John Wesley kept working. “I am now an old man,” he said, “decayed from head to foot. However, blessed be God, I do not slack my labour. I can preach and still write.” (Trial and Triumph: Stories from Church History, pg. 203)

As we begin our journey from the time of our born-again in the Spirit till our death in Christ Jesus, do we find in ourselves such passion, such discipline, such diligence and such hunger to live for the glory of God? It seems many of us are spiritually decayed before even reaching physical decay. It is written to a generation such as ours, "Sow for yourselves righteousness, reap the fruit of unfailing love, and break up your unplowed ground; for it is time to seek the LORD, until he comes and showers righteousness on you." (Hos. 10:12)

Charles Simeon [1759-1836] is another man who astounds me. He was a powerful expository preacher whose preaching transformed and revived the hearts of multitudes. After fifty-four years of faithful ministry at the Holy Trinity Church, Cambridge, UK, Simeon retired in 1836.

Even after his retirement, at the age of 77 years in which he died, a friend discovered that this elderly man was still rising at 4:00 a.m. every morning to light his own fire and to spend time reading the Bible, praying, repenting, and spending time with God. His friend thought this was over-kill. “Mr. Simeon,” he pleaded, “Do you not think that, now that you are retired, you might take things more easily?” “What?!” replied the old Charles Simeon, “Shall I not now run with all my might when the winning-post is in sight?” (Tim Keller, Long Distance Spirituality, May 2010)

What a response! How seldom do we find those who run diligently till they reach the winning-post! How few there are in our day who can say with Paul, "I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus!" (Phi. 3:14)

Well, friends, what do we observe in the lives of John Wesley and Charles Simeon? The more they went ahead in their Christian life, the more they grew old, the more they headed towards death, they became more and more serious and disciplined in their life with God. They did not take things "more easily". Is there any wonder why they had such an impact upon their generation and the generations thereafter?

Here is a challenge before us. As we pass days and years in our brief time on earth, as we grow older, as we approach near to death, are we becoming more flippant toward spiritual issues or are we becoming more passionate, disciplined and diligent in our walk with God and in His service? As we approach closer to our winning post, do we take things "more easily" or "more seriously"?

What the Lord Jesus had spoken to the Ephesian church, is He also speaking to us, "You have forsaken your first love. Remember the height from which you have fallen! Repent and do the things you did at first. If you do not repent, I will come to you and remove your lampstand from its place"? (Rev. 2:4-5).

May this hymn, written by William (Bill) Gaither, be found true and real in our own life: 

Since I started for the Kingdom,
Since my life He controls,
Since I gave my heart to Jesus,
The longer I serve Him,
The sweeter He grows.

Chorus
The longer I serve Him, the sweeter He grows,
The more that I love Him, more love He bestows;
Each day is like heaven, my heart overflows,
The longer I serve Him, the sweeter He grows.

Ev'ry need He is supplying,
Plenteous grace He bestows;
Ev'ry day my way gets brighter,
The longer I serve Him,
The sweeter He grows.

Chorus
The longer I serve Him, the sweeter He grows,
The more that I love Him, more love He bestows;
Each day is like heaven, my heart overflows,
The longer I serve Him, the sweeter He grows.

_______________________________

Enquiries:

cstephendavid@gmail.com (or) stephen@tents-india.org

How to Keep Your Fire Burning for the LORD?

The last weekend, the Lord has given me the privilege to minister to the young folks in Mumbai. During the Q&A session, someone asked, “How to stay steadfast in my devotion to God?” 

Don’t you suppose this is an intense struggle many of us often pass through?

Enlarging Ordinary Devotions
There are many who disappointedly ask, “I went to numerous seminars, camps and church meetings. I heard powerful messages, was set on fire for God and made great commitments to change. However, just after few days, the fire subsided and I returned to the same pathetic condition. I lost hope to change. How can I have my heart continuously burning for the Lord?”

In fifteen years of my Christian life, after experiencing many such topsy-turvy moments, I have learned a secret, or rather a fact—the way to keep fanning our inner flame for God, the means to steadfastly maintain and enhance our spiritual fervency, is through consistent private devotions.

The seventeenth-century Anglican, Jeremy Taylor, well counseled, “If thou meanest to enlarge thy religion, do it rather by enlarging thine ordinary devotions than thy extraordinary.” In other words, “If you think about enlarging your spiritual life, do it rather by cultivating your daily ordinary devotions than by extending your extraordinary meetings.”

Too many of us think of going here and there for special meetings and seminars to get our hearts set on fire for God. However important they are, such fire dies soon if we neglect our daily devotional time with the Lord, for it is here that our spiritual fervency is preserved and boosted.

Fanning through Spiritual Disciplines
We live by eating our daily bread at home, not by occasional appetizing food in the restaurants. Likewise, we live by our personal daily quiet time [not short and hurried but sufficient time] before the Lord, not by occasional spiritual meetings and conferences. The latter is only a supplement, not a substitute.

Nothing can take the place of private devotions to guard and stir up our spiritual fervency in the Lord. It is through this private time with the Father, our Lord Jesus, during His earthly ministry, kept the fire increasingly burning within Him to fulfill the will of God [see Mark 1:35ff; Lu. 4:42ff].

Few days ago, our family went to visit my in-laws. Since the climate was too cold, I sat outside with my children, warming ourselves before the wood fire. Whenever the fire kept going down, we kept putting the wood in the fire and enjoyed the warmth as the fire kept rising from declining into a smoke.

I think, it is the same with our spiritual fervency—whenever the fire goes down, we daily put the wood of prayer and meditation of God’s word in order to keep burning for the Lord.  To burn continuously for God we need to keep ourselves close to God through the means of spiritual disciplines.

Fight for Secret Devotions
By God’s grace, we need to fight daily against all the distractions and business for the private and adequate meeting with the Lord every morning.

I have observed this in my life more than hundred times—whenever I neglected my devotional time with the Lord, my heart turned from burning as a fire into a stench of smoke; I lost passion for God, sensitivity towards the Spirit, joy of the Lord and zeal to serve and encourage people.

Therefore, I fight daily, by God’s efficient grace, to discipline my personal devotional time before the Lord, spending more than two hours early in the morning, meditating on God's word, praying and worshiping, so that the fire on my altar would keep burning for God. C.H. Spurgeon rightly said, "Secret devotion is the very essence, evidence, and barometer, of vital and experimental religion."

Of course, this fight is a delightful battle and not drudgery, for the fruit of private devotions is increased spiritual fervency and overwhelming joy in the Lord. And this devotional time is not confined to the early morning; this definite time of devotion should enable our walk with God and sharpen our consciousness of Him throughout the day.

Yes, there are times of dryness, but I have learned not to give up at such moments; by God’s gracious help, I get restored to the Fountain of Life and daily get that fuel from the Lord, my Rock, to keep burning for His glory.

Caution: Spiritual disciplines are only the means to grow in Christ; the source of all fruit is Christ and Christ alone.

_______________________________

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Feel free to write your comments below (or) write to

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When We Don't Feel Like Praying - Part 2

(Continuation of Part 1)

Marriage
Another example that comes to my mind is marriage. Who doesn’t know that marriage is not always sailing on the romantic moods of honeymoon! Feelings of tension and frictions between husband and wife aren’t uncommon in many homes. How effortless it is for the once bed of flowers to turn into bed of thorns! It doesn’t come as a surprise when the deeply-fallen-in-love couple reaching the stage of dryness and boredom. There are times, even often, when once passionate-for-each-other couple may fall into the land of wilderness, where the desire for intimate communication with his/her spouse can be lost. What could be done at such dry situation?

One most significant advice wise counselors offer to bring life into marriage is by improving communication. Spending time with each other prevents a relationship from departing from one another. It is by working on such relational areas that marital life can be revived. Lukewarm couples realize at that time—marriage is sustained by commitment and discipline, not by feelings and mere expectations. To do whatever one’s feeling say is but to invite destruction in relationship.

If couples are dependent on feelings to love each other, they may have to face two disastrous results:

First, when they don’t feel like loving each other, there are chances for them to get attracted towards another person, developing an affair, whether emotional or actual.

Second, the marital life may either become completely dead, pushing the coffin as long as one can, or it may lead to break-up in relationship.

Therefore, to avoid these plights, it is crucial for couples to resist being led by feelings and be committed, staying strong in will to build up their marital life. As they improve their communication and give themselves up for each other, denying their self-centered feelings, their first love can be restored. Beware, to wait for some good feelings or sensations to automatically arise to love is to make one's relationship even more fragile and is likely to crumble to pieces.

This is true even in our life with God. There are times we lose our passion for our Divine Bridegroom. Our love towards our Savior becomes lukewarm. We don’t feel like communicating with Him. Spending time with Him appears like wandering in mind. During that wilderness walk, it is much possible for our hearts to flirt easily with worldly things. The world and its pleasures become more fascinating than the Maker of all things. We may progressively drift away from God and permit other things to sit on the throne of our heart. (mind you, when we don’t do the right things, we don’t end up doing nothing; we do the wrong things.) And finally, God may become once-upon-a-time lover of our lives.

Just as it is important for a spouse to overcome his reluctant feelings and start saving his martial life, especially by working on communication and sparing time, it is also necessary for us to resist yielding to those fleeting feelings and work on improving our communication by spending time with our Heavenly Father. Although feelings are involved in love, the fact is— love is not all about feelings. Most importantly, it is commitment, regardless of our feelings, towards the best interest of our spouse. Therefore, if we are committed to love God, we don’t wait for our feelings to take us on an exciting emotional prayer trip. Whether our feelings agree or not, we pray to Him, earnestly seek His face and become desperate for Him. Such examples are replete in the book of Psalms.

Furthermore, let us know that God’s love towards us will neither increase nor decrease, for He loves us infinitely and is invariably passionate for our relationship. During dry times of our life, God looks upon us to see how desperate we are for Him. He takes delight in us when we long and thirst for Him, and wrestle for His relationship, the Source of living water. He doesn't drag us to Himself but rejoices when we drag ourselves nearer to Him. Theresa of Avila is reported to have asked God to make her pray four hour every day. “Ah,” replied God, “as I do not make the birds to eat, neither will I make you pray; the birds eat because they get hungry. When you are hungry for Me you, too, will pray, Theresa.”

C.S. Lewis said it so well, “When you feel like praising God and you praise Him, that’s wonderful. But if you don’t feel like praising Him and you praise Him anyway, that’s an exceptionally sweet fragrance in His nostrils.” To put it in the context of prayer, “When you feel like praying to God and you pray to Him, that’s wonderful. But if you don’t feel like praying to Him and you pray to Him anyway, that’s an exceptionally sweet fragrance in His nostrils.”

Are we offering such prayers that are exceptionally sweet fragrance to our Lord?

Our commitment to the Lord is well proven, not when we do things we like to do, but when we do things, regardless of our feelings, to please Him. It wasn’t in vain that our Lord said, “If anyone wishes to follow Me, he must deny himself…” The battle of self-denial is frequently faced and fiercely fought in our closet. God’s intimacy belongs to those who don’t give up!

TO BE CONTINUED.....

________________________________

ENQUIRIES:

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E-mail: friendsofchrist@gmail.com

When We Don't Feel Like Praying - Part 1

We all are aware of the fact that Christian life is not always a mountaintop experience. There are times we have to walk through the valley, which, in the words of St. John of the Cross, is called, “Dark Night of the Soul.” When our soul is plunged into darkness, one most important commandment we find it hard to obey is 1 Thessalonians 5:17, “Pray without ceasing.”

How painful are those moments when we are externally encircled by darkness and internally filled with dryness!

What can we do when we don’t feel like praying?

How can we walk with God when there is no inner desire to talk with Him?

When prayer is an activity whereby we are enabled to get through life’s struggles and temptations, what can be done when our heart do not wish to open itself out to communicate with its Creator?

When there is no passion in us to walk on the path of spiritual disciplines, how can we take a step? There is a song, in one of my vernacular languages, which goes like this, “The goal is in its place and the path to reach it is also in its place; but, when the feet do not cooperate, what can a traveler do!”

When I sought the Lord in this matter, my mind has been enlightened to understand what can be done when we don’t feel like praying. I would like to make my point by using three examples.

Sickness
Although we all love to stay healthy, sickness is an inevitable part of life. We know what it is to fall sick. Our tongue becomes bland. Our stomach finds food repugnant. And those feelings of revulsion. We hate to intake anything. Even the kind of food which is naturally relished by us now turns nasty. What is it we are told by doctors at such unpleasant situation? Like it or not—we have to still take good diet in spite of our feelings which says ‘no’ to food. There is no other way. To listen to our feelings at that time is to let our body and health deteriorate.

During our sickness, when we don’t submit to feelings and discipline ourselves to eat, there are two good outcomes that we reap.

First, healthy diet nourishes our body and plays a vital role in the process of healing; mind you, even medicines do not become a substitute to diet. In fact, good food enhances to fulfill the purpose of medicines we take.

Second, compelling ourselves to eat in spite of reluctant feelings not only brings nourishment to our body but also lead us to the point where we eventually like the very thing we hated to do, i.e. to eat that which we generally love as we get well. When we do what we do not like to do because it is the right thing to do, we end up liking what we disliked to do.

So, here is the point. When we fall into spiritual sickness, our natural tendency is to resist praying and meditating on God’s word. However, it is still necessary for us to pray and meditate in spite of our weakness and resistant feelings, for this is the only way for the nourishment of our soul, although the healing is not necessarily immediate. This would also eventually lead us to the point where we again love praying and meditating as our soul finds healing. In our battle with feelings and inner dryness, when we keep on pushing ourselves to pray, we inescapably find victory and witness rivers of living water flowing in and through us.

Sadly, many of us yield to those fleeting feelings, quit battling, and suffer from spiritual malnourishment. This isn’t the pathway for victorious Christian life. To depend on feelings to agree with us in order to do things we are required to do is but to put ourselves on an unstable and slippery path. Just as resisting to take healthy diet because we do not feel like eating is detrimental to our physical health, so is neglecting to pray, because we do not feel like praying, proves disastrous to our spiritual health. Let us fix this fact in our mind—we do things because it is the right thing to do, whether we feel like doing it or not.

One significant principle we learn during our sickness is that we eat food, not primarily to enjoy the taste or because we feel like eating, but to survive. Likewise, we pray, not because we like to, but to survive in God and to live for Him. As a matter of fact, much prayer is required from us when we do not feel like praying, for it is the only antidote to spiritual sickness. C. H. Spurgeon rightly said, “If I feel myself disinclined to pray, then is the time when I need to pray more than ever.” There is no other way to overcome those feelings unwilling to pray than by praying, even more.

Therefore, let us learn to control our feelings rather than allow our feelings to control us. May we learn to keep going, with God’s gracious help, despite our feelings which try to pull us back. When we manage our emotions and keep seeking the face of our Lord, we learn to be led by the Spirit of God, not by wild emotions. The words of Dr. Martyn Lloyd Jones are worth considering to apply, “The main art in the matter of spiritual living is to know how to handle yourself. You have to take yourself in hand.”

TO BE CONTINUED.....

________________________________

ENQUIRIES:

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The Secret of the Power of Prayer

“The righteous cry out, and the LORD hears them” (Ps. 34:17).

I used to believe that the secret of the power of prayer lies in protracted prayer. The more I pray the more blessing I receive. Did not Jesus pray for long hours, sometimes the whole night (Lu. 6:12)? Also, I believed the secret of the power of prayer lies in fasting. Did not Jesus say, “This kind can come out only by prayer and fasting?” (Mk. 9:29) I read numerous books on prayer and some on fasting and my conviction grew even more. Hence, my prime focus was either on protracted prayer or fasting prayer. I suppose there are many fellow brothers and sisters in the Lord who believe the same.

Not until later did I learn that I was wrong. Of course, there is a significant room for protracted and fasting prayer, but there is an important prerequisite for a prayer, protracted prayer or even fasting prayer to be effective! What then is the secret of the power of prayer? It is written, “Moses and Aaron were among His priests, Samuel was among those who called on His name; they called on the LORD and He answered them” (Ps. 99:6). We know the wonders God did through Moses and Samuel. They called on the LORD and He answered their prayers in a wonderful way. What could be the secret?

Again it is written in Ps. 99:7, “He spoke to them from the pillar of cloud; they kept His statutes and the decrees He gave them.” We learn here that the secret of the power of prayer is obedience to God’s word. God is greatly pleased with the prayer of an upright man. He eagerly listens to those who devotedly listen to Him. “The Holy One,” said the Rabbis, “yearns for the prayers of the righteous.” Is it not written, “The LORD is far from the wicked but He hears the prayer of the righteous” (Pro. 15:29 )? Furthermore, James emphatically said, “The prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective” (Jas. 5:16 ). God can do anything in and through a man who commits himself to obey Him in everything.

Coming to Jesus’ prayer life, we know how long He prayed and fasted. So, is that the major reason He was heard? The Holy Bible says, “During the days of Jesus' life on earth, He offered up prayers and petitions with loud cries and tears to the One who could save Him from death, and He was heard because of His reverent submission” (Heb. 5:7) Jesus Himself said, “By myself I can do nothing; I judge only as I hear, and my judgment is just, for I seek not to please Myself but Him who sent Me” (Jn. 5:31). While He was desperately hungry, He said to His disciples, “My food is to do the will of Him who sent Me and to finish His work” (Jn. 4:34 ).

Jesus’ whole life on earth was a life of obedience and submission to His Father’s will and therefore God was pleased to hear His prayers. His protracted and fasting prayers were done by living in obedience to His Father. How often we bypass the path of obedience and endeavor to pray and fast! Sometimes we wonder why our prayers are not powerful and even doubt the promises of God! Did He not say, “You may ask Me for anything in My name, and I will do it” (Jn. 14:14 )? Now there is a great danger when we read a particular verse in isolation while neglecting to observe the teachings of the whole Scripture in its totality. For it is also written, “Dear friends, if our hearts do not condemn us, we have confidence before God and receive from Him anything we ask, because we obey His commands and do what pleases Him” (1 Jn. 3:21-22).

Finally, my dear brothers and sisters in Christ Jesus, when we read carefully the entire Bible we learn that the whole emphasis is on living an obedient life. Obedience to God is the pathway of blessing and a stronghold of an effective prayer life. Many times it is easier for us to pray and offer a sacrifice; however, the Holy Bible exhorts, “To do what is right and just is more acceptable to the LORD than sacrifice” (Pro. 21:3). May we repent of any disobedience and seek His grace upon us to live a life holy and pleasing to Him and our prayers will be a fragrant offering to God. Take heed of Pro. 28:9, “If anyone turns a deaf ear to the law, even his prayers are detestable”.

“Obedience is the great factor in our whole relationship to God” — Andrew Murray."

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