E. M. Bounds once said, “What the Church needs today is not more machinery or better, not new organizations or more novel methods, but men whom the Holy Ghost can use–men of prayer, men mighty in prayer.” (Power Through Prayer, (Baker Book House), p. 3)
God always moves when His people pray. Israel was delivered from bondage because they cried out to the Lord for deliverance. The Church was born in a prayer meeting and experienced dramatic growth as a result. This nation has had two Great Awakenings that came as a direct result of God’s people joining forces and crashing the gates of heaven to pursue the blessing and favor of God. We are at a crossroads as a nation. We need another awakening, another revival. And it must begin with God’s people on our faces before God in prayer.
Prayer is to the Christian what breathing is to human beings. It is an absolute necessity, for without prayer the believer cannot live. As a human being you don’t have to think about breathing; it is an involuntary reaction to the atmospheric pressure that surrounds us, exerting pressure on our lungs and forcing us to breathe. That’s why it’s harder for you to hold your breath than it is to breathe.
Similarly, for the believer, prayer is the result of the spiritual atmosphere where the presence and grace of God exerts pressure, or influence, on your life. Prayer is the normal response to that spiritual pressure from above and within us. Every believer, having entered into the divine atmosphere, breathes the air of prayer. That’s the only way we can survive in the darkness of the world that surrounds us.
The purpose of this post is not to convince you of the need to pray. Every genuine believer recognizes his inability to function without prayer, and if you don’t recognize the necessity of prayer in your daily life perhaps it says more about your spiritual condition than you might want to admit.
We all know that the exercising of our spiritual muscles through prayer is to be not only a daily practice, but a moment-to-moment reality. Yes, Jesus often withdrew to a quiet place to pray. But prayer was the spiritual air that our Lord breathed every moment of every day as He enjoyed uninterrupted and unending communion with His Father. Even Paul admonished believers to “pray without ceasing” (1 Thessalonians 5:17).
If we could get back to that constant awareness of the presence of God, perhaps our nation would once again receive God’s favor. Once we learn to commune with our Father continually we will be assured that His blessing is upon us and we will possess a steadfast hope. If you’d like to know more, contact us – because that’s why we’re here…..
That You May Know
1 John 5:13
That You May Know Ministries 