The Discipline of Prayer
F.B. Meyer, author of The Secret of Guidance, once said, “The great tragedy of life is not unanswered prayer, but unoffered prayer.” If weâre honest, this is truer than weâd like to admit. For the majority of us, prayer is an undisciplined area in our spiritual lives. We talk about prayer more than we actually do it. Yet within the Christian life it remains one of the necessary disciplines we must incorporate if we are going to continue to be conformed to the image of Christ.
Paul instructs the church in prayer in Colossians 4:2-4. He starts by saying, âKeep on praying.â Persistence is vital in prayer. In fact, Jesus tells a whole parable about persistence in prayer in Luke 18 when he speaks of a widow who continually sought justice from an ungodly judge. The judge did not fear God, but because of the womanâs persistence he relented and gave her justice. Persistence in prayer is not an option for us as Christians. Ask and you will receive, but when you stop asking, when you stop expecting anything from God, thatâs precisely what you will get. Nothing.
But note, persistent prayers donât necessarily need to be long prayers. Persistence simply means not giving up. All too often we give up too early on prayer. We begin to pray and do so for a week or month, but eventually our enthusiasm wanes. We abandon the prayer because the excitement has run its course. We donât feel like praying any more, but we are not to live by our feelings but rather by the commands of God. And Godâs command is to pray without ceasing.
Paul also calls us to guard our prayers. Jesus was vigilant about his prayer life. In his book Quiet Talks on Prayer, S.D. Gordon writes, â[Prayer] was not only his regular habit, but his resort in every emergency, however slight or serious. [âŚ] There was no emergency, no difficulty, no necessity, no temptation that would not yield to prayer.â
Persistence and vigilance in prayer are important, but equally as important is our passion and thanksgiving. A constant theme that should run through our prayers is that of gratitude. Expressing gratitude as we pray accomplishes several things. First, it clarifies our dependence upon God. It also demonstrates humility and reminds us that without God we are nothing.
As a man in chains, Paul asked for prayer, but his focus was not on his chains but rather his mission. Many times, our prayer to God is that heâd relieve difficult situationsâto heal this ailment or cut this trial short. One of the most misunderstood realities of discipleship, which is the goal of spiritual discipline, is that it is never a purely selfish thing. God’s purpose in making us more like Jesus is not an end unto itself, it is always purposeful. He wants to conform you to the image of Jesus so that you can continue on with the work of Jesus.
We have been called to follow Jesus and to make disciples. Just like with any other area in life, if weâre going to grow weâre going to have to do the hard things. Growth requires discipline, putting down that Big Mac, putting down the TV remote, and doing the hard yet important things in life.