The Priority of Prayer

One of the guiding principles of the church that I am serving is that we must be girded in prayer. Introduction: Prayer ought to be a priority in our lives as believers. The Scriptures make prayer a priority. In Philippians 4:6 the Apostle Paul wrote, “Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.” In Ephesians 6:18 he taught the Ephesian church to be “praying at all times in the Spirit, with all prayer and supplication. To that end keep alert with all perseverance, making supplication for all the saints.” James reminded believers that, “The prayer of a righteous person has great power as it is working” (Jas 5:6). We are challenged in 1 Thessalonians 5:17 to “pray without ceasing.” In Luke 18:1 Jesus “told them a parable to the effect that they ought always to pray and not lose heart.” To the early Church prayer was a priority. In seventeen out of twenty-eight chapters in Acts prayer is specifically mentioned.

Jesus made prayer a priority in his own life. “In these days he went out to the mountain to pray, and all night he continued in prayer to God” (Lk 6:12). I Luke 9.28, “about eight days after these sayings [Jesus] took with him Peter and John and James and went up on the mountain to pray.” The disciples saw the priority of prayer in Jesus life and asked him to teach them to prayer. “Now Jesus was praying in a certain place, and when he finished, one of his disciples said to him, “Lord, teach us to pray, as John taught his disciples” (Lk 11:1). Luke 22.39-41 says that it was Jesus custom to retreat to the Mount of Olives where he challenged his disciples to pray. Prayer was a priority in Jesus’ life.

We say that prayer is important, that it is a priority. So why is it that we pray so little? Why is it that prayer is so hard? Daniel prayed despite a law against prayer, and despite the fact that it landed him in a pit filled with hungry lions. Would we have been with Daniel, or would we have complied with the law? Perhaps it is time that we make our first prayer that which the disciples asked of Jesus, “Lord, teach us to pray” (Lk 11:1).