It is way too easy to get caught up in the events of life and neglect prayer. A busy day awaits most of us and we rush off to meet the day. Even in vocational ministry it is easy to be surrounded by all of the right books, sermon resources, and reminders of the need for prayer, but to neglect the time in prayer needed to accomplish the work. Prayerlessness is our great sin. The life without prayer will find no power to quench the fiery darts of the evil one. After writing with skillful instruction about equipping ourselves with the whole armor of God, Paul says we must be, "praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit...with all supplication" (Eph. 6:18). In other words, PRAY! PRAY! PRAY! PRAY! There is no ability to discern the events of life without prayer and there is no power to stand victoriously without prayer. We must pray long and we must pray hard. We must pray without ceasing.
E.M. Bounds, in his immortal book, "Power Through Prayer" shares these piercing words:
"A prayerless ministry is the undertaker for all God's truth and for God's Church. He may have the most costly casket and the most beautiful flowers, but it is a funeral, notwithstanding the charmful array. A prayerless Christian will never learn God's truth; a prayerless ministry will never be able to teach God's truth. Hell has enlarged herself and filled her dire caves in the presence of the dead service of a prayerless Church."
So many of our sins are wretchedly flowing out of prayerless lives. Pray, and please don't think you can be or do anything truly good without it. Communion with Christ is our greatest need, and our only hope.
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