How is your prayer life? Is
prayer a central and significant part of your life, or
is it something you only do when you are with other
believers? Is prayer a daily discipline for you, or do
you mainly pray when you get in trouble? Do you pray
when you are home alone, or do you find that you only
pray and worship the Lord when you come to church and
are in the presence of other worshiping and praying
people?
To pray regularly requires discipline. Unfortunately,
most people are "on-again, off-again" when it comes to
prayer. They are faithful for a while, but then they
fall out of prayer because they are too tired to get
up early, or they become distracted by other things.
But how often are we supposed to pray? Ephesians 6:18
gives us the answer! It says, "Praying always
with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and
watching thereunto with all perseverance and
supplication for all saints."
The word "always" is taken from the Greek phrase en
panti kairo. The word en would be better
translated at. The word panti means each
and every. You could say that this word panti is
an allencompassing word that embraces everything,
including the smallest and most minute of details. The
last word in this Greek phrase is the word kairo,
the Greek word for times or seasons.
When all three of these words are used together in one
phrase (en panti kairo) as in Ephesians 6:18,
they could be more accurately translated at each
and every occasion.
Ephesians 6:18 conveys this idea:
"Pray anytime there's an opportunity - no
matter where you are or what you're doing. Use
every occasion, every season, every possible
moment to pray."
This clearly tells us that prayer is not optional for
the Christian who is serious about his or her
spiritual life. According to this scripture, believers
are to make prayer a top priority. Yet, unfortunately,
prayer is largely disregarded by the average Christian
today.
If prayer isn't a priority in your life right now, why
not make it a priority starting today? You might say,
"But I don't have time to pray." You have time to do
whatever you really want to do. If it's truly in your
heart to pray, you can find the time. And if your
schedule is as busy as you think it is, take Ephesians
6:18 to heart. Grab any available time you can find,
and make it your prayer time. Why not start this day
out right? Make a quality decision to make prayer your
first order of business!
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