The Privilege Of Prayer
[The disciples said,] . . . We will devote ourselves to prayer, and to the ministry of the word.
Acts 6:4 RSV
We must desire the will of God. Even our Lord, contrary to his own disposition at the moment, said, “O my Father, if this cup may not pass away from me, except I drink it, thy will be done” (Matthew 26:42).
Prayer couples us with God’s true purposes for us and the world. It not only brings the blessings of God’s will to our own personal life, but it brings us the added blessing of being in step with God’s plan.
Remember, too, that our prayer must be for God’s glory. The model prayer which Jesus has given us concludes with, “Thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory.” If we are to have our prayers answered, we must give God the glory. Our Lord said to His disciples, “And whatsoever ye shall ask in my name, that will I do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son” (John 14:13).
What a privilege is ours: the privilege of prayer! Christian, examine your heart, reconsecrate your life, yield yourself to God unreservedly, for only those who pray through a clear heart will be heard of Him. The Bible says, “The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much” (James 5:16).
We are to pray in times of adversity, lest we become faithless and unbelieving. We are to pray in times of prosperity, lest we become boastful and proud. We are to pray in times of danger, lest we become fearful and doubting. We need to pray in times of security, lest we become self-sufficient. Sinners, pray to a merciful God for forgiveness! Christians, pray for an outpouring of God’s Spirit upon a willful, evil, unrepentant world. Parents, pray that God may crown your home with grace and mercy! Children, pray for the salvation of your parents!
Christian, saint of God, pray that the dew of heaven may fall on earth’s dry, thirsty ground, and that righteousness may cover the earth as the waters cover the sea. Pray, believing, with this promise of our Savior in mind, “What things soever ye desire, when ye pray, believe that ye receive them, and ye shall have them” (Mark 11:24).
“Satan trembles when he sees the weakest saint upon his knees”—so pray, Christian, pray!
Our Father and our God, take my doubting heart and convert it to unwavering faith. Forgive me, in Your great mercy, for violating my commitment to You. Search me and try me, Lord. Make my life a glorification of You and Your Son, through whom I pray. Amen.
Billy Graham, Unto the Hills: A Daily Devotional (Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson, 2010).