They say a prayer less Christian is a weak Christian. Why
though? What’s the purpose of prayer and why does the bible put sooo much emphasis
on it by telling us to pray without ceasing?
Prayer is nothing else than speaking to God. Our God
is omnipresent and available 24/7, that’s why there is no conventional place or
time to pray (speak to God). You can speak to your friends on skype while at
home, on the phone while at the store, you can text them while in the washroom or
speak to them face to face. Then why can’t you speak to God in your car, in the
shower, in the washroom stall, in your bedroom or while walking to the bus stop?
You don’t have to be in church or on your knees by the bedside. WHENEVER you
want to speak to your father, wherever you are or whatever the hour is, you should feel entirely free
to do so, because God said we should.
Ok so, prayer is a conversation with God but what do I say?
Do you remember when you were a child and you got old
enough to start answering phone calls, and sometimes you’d be confused or shy
and look at your parents and say “what do I say?”… They taught you what to say
didn't they? They told you to ask who it is and who they want to speak to etc… That’s
because we’re not born knowing everything, everything is taught and
transmitted. So you’re not the only one to wonder how you should speak to God.
I mean how are you supposed to start? Do you say "Hi
how are you" or say "what’s up God how was your day?" This is why Jesus taught the
disciples how to pray! He gave us a format to follow, it’s like some sort of
guideline. He showed us how it is important to start the conversation as
recognizing God as our father and going on in giving him glory and exalting
him. He then showed us the way we must ask him for forgiveness. protection and blessings. This is a model to make your own and to personalize according to
your situation. You don’t have to recite this and be robotic. Sometimes I will
just speak to God to give him glory, and just tell him how I love Him and thank Him for being so great, while other times I’ll be crying and asking God to
forgive me. It’s your daddy, approach Him freely and however you want, and do not feel the need to
want to do things perfectly. He knows you inside and out and He loves you. Your
relationship with God should be the most unconventional one, because unlike us
humans, he will not think anything less of us. As imperfect as we may be, He
values our time with him. He wants us to speak to Him and there’s not only one
way to do it. It’s a relationship!
The only way to make a bond stronger is by putting
some time and effort on making the bond stronger. This is one reason why we
must pray without ceasing. To get closer and closer to God, and as
we get closer to Him, we will start being like Him. The same manner as you
spend a lot of time with someone and you start acting like them. Eventually by
being more and more like Christ, you will avoid sin more and more. But when you
don’t pray, it is dangerous because that means you are spending time doing
something else and are more prone to distraction and temptation.
I don’t really think I know how to explain the feeling
of going a long time without speaking to God. I think since the moment you
develop a strong relationship with someone, they become a part of who you are,
and not having them in your life anymore, whether you deny it or not, is weird.
Well not really weird but more like there’s something missing. You’ll try to
replace that absence for something else. That’s what some of us refer to as a rebound
chick or boy. Well the rebound to Christ is sin. He said that he who drinks
from His cup will never be thirsty, so when you stop drinking from it, what
happens? Thirst happens, literally. You’ll thirst for something and that is
called sin. That is why God said to pray without ceasing!!! It’s a relationship
that you must keep developing day after day, you never stop getting to know
him, just like you always find out new things about your friends…
1
Thessalonians 5:16-18 (NKJV)
Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, in everything give thanks;
for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.
“This, then, is how you should pray:
"Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name,
your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.
Give us today our daily bread.
And forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors.
And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one.
By: Vicky (Vessel Speaker)
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