Editor’s Note: You can read the previous articles in this series below:
The Importance of Being Disciplined in Prayer
Prayer is Vital to Your Relationship with God
The Importance of Being Disciplined in Prayer
In our last article, we explored how being disciplined in prayer is vital to your relationship with the Lord. In this article, we’re going to see how prayer is a key component to a vibrant and healthy spiritual life.
As JC Ryle said:
What is the reason that some believers are so much brighter and holier than others? I believe the difference, in nineteen cases out of twenty, arises from different habits about private prayer. I believe that those who are not eminently holy pray little, and those who are eminently holy pray much.
Prayer is Vital to Your Spiritual Health
Communing with the Lord is a balm to your soul. When we’re tempted, overwhelmed, lacking wisdom, or unsure of God’s will for our lives, we must go to the Great Physician who can give us spiritual vitality.
As Christians living in a fallen world, keeping in constant contact with the Lord is the way to ask for help and seek direction. Think about a soldier in a battleground. If you’re in the heat of battle and you lose contact with your command center, you’re flying blind. You want to have all the intelligence and all of the direction you can to win the battle. So it is with prayer and our spiritual walk with the Lord. Prayer is the lifeline to God as we move through life.
Fighting Temptation
Prayer is a crucial weapon in the fight against sin and temptation. As we contend with the temptations of Satan and the desires of our own sinful flesh, turning to the Lord in prayer is critical to winning the battle. We see this when Jesus exhorted the disciples to pray in the garden of Gethsemane:
Then he said to them, “My soul is very sorrowful, even to death; remain here, and watch with me.” And going a little farther he fell on his face and prayed, saying, “My Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me; nevertheless, not as I will, but as you will.” And he came to the disciples and found them sleeping. And he said to Peter, “So, could you not watch with me one hour? Watch and pray that you may not enter into temptation. The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak.” Again, for the second time, he went away and prayed, “My Father, if this cannot pass unless I drink it, your will be done.” And again he came and found them sleeping, for their eyes were heavy. So, leaving them again, he went away and prayed for the third time, saying the same words again.
Matt 26:38-44
Pathway to Peace
When we’re overwhelmed with anxiety and filled with fear, we’re faced with choice. Are we going to try to shoulder the burden ourselves or are we going to turn to the Lord for help? Christians are commanded to not be anxious, but rather to cry out to the Lord in prayer:
Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.
Phil 4:6
Getting Wisdom
True wisdom comes from God, so we must turn to him to acquire it. Alongside reading the Bible, prayer is a primary means by which we can seek wisdom.
If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given him.
James 1:5
Seeking God’s Will
We often encounter crossroads in life that leave us unsure of which direction we should go. Those instances should drive us to God in prayer. When Jesus needed to choose his 12 disciples, he spent all night in prayer seeking God’s will.
In these days he went out to the mountain to pray, and all night he continued in prayer to God. And when day came, he called his disciples and chose from them twelve, whom he named apostles.
Luke 6:12-13
This can serve as a model to us to seek God’s will in prayer before a big decision. As we’ve seen, prayer is a critical part of our relationship with God and maintaining our spiritual health. In our next article, we’ll see that prayer is also a crucial part of the effectiveness of your ministry.
