Jesus was an advocate of prayer, in fact He commanded that we ALL should pray. Jesus identified the place of worship (the Church) as a house of prayer (Luke 19: 46-46), and the apostles identified themselves as men of prayer (Acts 6:4). Not only did the apostles preach the Gospel or the Good News, but they believed that praying was just as important as their preaching. Paul wrote to Timothy and encouraged him to pray as a servant leader in the Kingdom:
I urge you, first of all, to pray for all people. Ask God to help them; intercede on their behalf, and give thanks for them. Pray this way for kings and all who are in authority so that we can live peaceful and quiet lives marked by godliness and dignity. This is good and pleases God our Savior, who wants everyone to be saved and to understand the truth. (1 Timothy 2:1-4 NLT)
The commitment of the Apostles in Acts 6:4, “We will give ourselves continually to prayer and the ministry of the word” was a byproduct of the request made of Jesus by the apostles in Luke 11:1, “Lord, teach us how to pray…”
Like the apostles, as born again believers in Jesus Christ, we must embrace these foundational truths and practice these principals in our personal lives. The above mentioned scripture in Acts 6 was not just a statement about how they would spend their personal time, but a statement about how they would invest their lives to prayer and to ministry of the word. You can’t have one without the other.
Jesus was completely depended upon the Father during His earthly life and ministry:
“Jesus explained, I tell you the truth, the Son of can do nothing by himself. He does only what he sees the Father doing. Whatever the Father does, the Son also does. (John 5:19 NLT)
“Jesus explained, I can do nothing on my own…because I carry out the will of the one who sent met, not my own will. (John 5:30 NLT)
As 21st century believers in a world full of distractions, chaos, confusion and instant gratification, we must be diligent like never before. For the enemy is prowling around like a roaring lion, looking for someone to devour. (1Peter 5:8)
Father in the name of Jesus, help my brother and sister grow in their relationship with you through prayer. It is our desire that we grow closer and have an intimate personal relationship with you. You said in your word, that without you, we can’t do anything. We lean, depend and trust in you. For in you we live… In you we move and in you we have our being…
In Jesus Name… Amen!
Amazed by His Grace,
Damon L.Owens