Prayer

As I was reading my daily Proverb a couple days ago, one verse in particular stuck out to me. Proverbs 25:14 says, Whoever falsely boasts of giving is like clouds and wind without rain.

Whenever I have read that verse before, I thought that the giving part was talking about giving in a physical way, i.e. money, help, food, etc., and that it was dealing with outright lying to make oneself look good. But, when I just read it again, I saw it in a different light.

It’s not just talking about giving something physical, it’s also talking about prayer. How many times have you had some ask you to pray for something and tell them that you would, and then go off and completely forget that you were supposed to pray? I have done it many more times then I care to admit.

And it’s not that I don’t initially pray for them. When I receive an email, or have someone ask me for prayer, I normally pray immediately, but I only do it once. As if I was checking it off of my “spiritual” checklist. "Phew! I’m glad I can check that off! Now, onto whatever other thing I was doing...." Colossians 4:2 says, Continue earnestly in prayer, being vigilant in it with thanksgiving;

Prayer should be something that we love to  do! I mean, we’re talking to our Maker and Heavenly Father! What could be cooler then that!? We’re talking to the Great I Am!

I know for me, praying consistently is not something I’m good at. It seems to me like I’m pulling teeth. "I’ve already asked God for this prayer request. Why do I need to repeat it, since he knows my thoughts before I even think them?” The answer is found in Luke 18:1-8...

Then He spoke a parable to them, that men always ought to pray and not lose heart, saying: “There was in a certain city a judge who did not fear God nor regard man. Now there was a widow in that city; and she came to him, saying, ‘Get justice for me from my adversary.’ And he would not for a while; but afterward he said within himself, ‘Though I do not fear God nor regard man, yet because this widow troubles me I will avenge her, lest by her continual coming she weary me.’” Then the Lord said, “Hear what the unjust judge said. And shall God not avenge His own elect who cry out day and night to Him, though He bears long with them? I tell you that He will avenge them speedily. Nevertheless, when the Son of Man comes, will He really find faith on the earth?”

“...Yet because this widow troubles me I will avenge her, lest by her continual coming she weary me.” Somehow I don’t think that she bothered him just once. The widow was constantly coming before the judge. The judge probably only had to see her, and he knew exactly what she wanted, too. But, she didn’t just stand there, giving him the you-know-why-I’m-here look, she conversed with him, regularly.

That’s the way it should be with prayer. We are to “not grow weary in doing good.” (2 Thess. 3:13) and to “pray without ceasing” (1 Thessalonians 5:17).

So, just my thoughts on the subject. When I realized what I was doing (though absent-mindedly), it was quite the reality check. Lord willing, whenever someone asks me to pray now, I will do it consistently, with the Lord’s help.