MEN ALWAYS OUGHT TO PRAY
"THEN HE SPOKE A PARABLE TO THEM, that men always ought to pray and not lose heart."
Luke 18:1 (NKJV)
READ: Luke 18:1-8; 11:5-10
In the Bible passage of our text, the Lord Jesus Christ was talking about importunity in prayer.
One thing which a number of believers misunderstood about the teaching of faith is persistency in prayer. A measure of persistency is needed if you actually want to receive some things from God.
A lot of believers usually give
up so soon on the prayer point taken to God.
God at times would want to test your perseverance before He answers
what you brought before Him as a request.
There is no way you will not be persistent if you are really or actually
in a fellowship or communion with Him.
• God wants to be conversed with.
• He wants fellowship.
• He wants to be in your thoughts always, your sleeping and waking thoughts.
• God wants to be part of your day and part of every decision you are making.
• God wants you to carry Him
along in whatever you are doing.
If these would happen, your converse with God, and He should be part of whatever you are doing (Proverbs 3:5,6).
You let God have the ultimate say-so on the matters of your life—a right of final decision.
You have to let Him know the details of what is going on in your life and affairs.
You talk to God virtually about everything, even things that could be considered inconsequential or unimportant. It is all about fellowship!
Communing with God is the best form of prayer. God expects believers to converse with Him every now and then.
Being born-again and having a relationship with God is not about attending church meetings on Sundays and after that you have nothing to do with God again until next Sunday.
If your Christian life is like that, it means you are practicing religion; you are not relating and fellowshipping with God.
God wants attention. He wants relationship. He wants fellowship or communion!
What does it mean to commune?
• It means to review or consider in conversation or discuss things together with God.
• It also means to communicate intimately.
• In addition, it means to form a close personal relationship with God through the Holy Spirit on the inside of you.
Now, if your relationship with God has not gotten to communion or fellowship level, you are still shallow.
You will not need a prayer book to commune with God. You talk freely with God in the atmosphere of Father-son's or Father-daughter's relationship.
It would be in a relaxed mood, no agitation or anxiousness. You open up your heart to God and tell Him whatever is bothering your heart.
This level of relationship with God is deliberately and consciously built and developed. And whoever would build such a relationship and fellowship would be someone, a believer, who is walking in the light of God's Word.
Someone who obeys God, even on minutest things.
Note:
• You do not wait until you are perfect in all things before you start communing with God. Just go ahead and talk to God as you go about your daily activities.
• You even do not necessarily need to get to a secluded place before you can talk to Him. Either in your car or a public bus, you can talk to God. All it needs is that your heart or spirit connects with Him wherever you are or find yourself.
• You always pray on the go, you do not wait until you get to a particular place, and at a particular time, but anywhere or place you are, go ahead and talk, commune and converse with God.
The truth is, if you are walking in obedience to God's Word, it is through persistency or importunity you get your prayers answered—your request granted.
Peace.