"Now in the morning, having risen a long while before daylight, He went out and departed to a solitary place; and there He prayed." Mark 1:35 Very much of what Jesus did in His life, believers can do too. Christ modeled beautifully so much of the life every believer could live. One area of our life that Christ modeled was His Prayer life. And if Jesus – and He did – made it a high priority to pray daily, and He was the Son of God – we too need to make daily Prayer a high priority.
“Pray without ceasing.” We should live our life as a running conversation with God. “Don’t worry about anything, but by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving let Your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God which passes all understanding shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.” Phil. 4:6,7
When we work, we work. When we pray, God works. And always remember God can do everything we can do so much better!
There is no such thing as praying too much! Psalm 119:18 says “Open my eyes, that I may see wonderous things from Your law”. A good prayer to pray just before you spend time reading God’s Word. Every husband and wife should try to pray together every day. And every parent should strive to pray daily with their children. Also, parents, teach and guide your children to pray everyday for you, their parents, and for their brothers and sisters and others.
George Washington Carver was a great man of prayer. He was a well-known scientist who was born a slave. He has been credited with saving the agriculture of the South. He is a great example of a believer who listened to and communed With God. And he is a great example of a believer who followed and applied God’s wisdom in his life.
He would rise up early every day, and sit before the Lord who he called “Mr. Creator”. There with the Lord, Dr. Carver learned secrets that blessed the world. From the book, THE MAN WHO TALKS WITH THE FLOWERS, by Glenn Park , Dr. Carver stated, “There is literally nothing that I ever wanted to do, that I asked the blessed Creator to help me to do, that I have not been able to accomplish. It’s all very simple, if one knows how to talk with the Creator. It is simply seeking the Lord and finding Him…all my life I have risen regularly at four o’clock and have gone into the woods and talked with God. There He gives me my orders for the day…when people are still asleep I hear God best and learn my plan …after my morning’s talk with God I go into my laboratory and begin to carry out His wishes for the day.”
Make it your goal to saturate your life and your family and the concerns of your life with prayer. In I Samuel, chapter 1, the story of Hannah has many powerful life lessons about prayer, and going to God in prayer with the desires of our hearts. The gift of prayer, that is the privilege to pray and talk with our Heavenly Father, is a precious gift from God. It is one of the most valuable gifts in all of life. Lets use the precious gift we have in prayer daily and wisely and continually.
"When you were young, and it was cold outside, with a blanket, I covered you with care. Now that you are older, and the world is much colder, I now cover you with a blanket of prayer." Author Unknown
And remember, there is no such thing as praying too much.
Pastor Joseph Parker is the host of The Hour of Intercession on Urban Family Talk. This show covers topics of prayer, intercession, the Word of God and features interviews with pastors and religious leaders. He is also a contributor to The Stand. This article first appeared on The Stand.
