How is your prayer life? Do you know you are called to pray? You know, Martin Luther has said “As is the business of tailors to make clothes and cobblers to make shoes, so it is the business of Christians to pray.”

It is our business to pray.
It is our duty to pray.
It is our calling to pray.

Like Watchman Nee has written “our prayers lay the track down which God’s power can come. Like a mighty locomotive, his power is irresistible, but it cannot reach us without rails.”

Hence we need to make time to pray. No matter what. We need to lay the track down for God’s power. We are partners in God’s work. It really is our business to pray. We also – pure and simple -need to pray.

With the words of M.E. Andross “The great freight and passenger trains are never too busy to stop for fuel. No matter how congested the yards may be, no matter how crowded the schedules are, no matter how many things demand the attention of the trainmen, those trains always stop for fuel.”

Praying is our way to get spiritual fuel.
Praying is our lifeline to the author of Life.
Praying brings blessings into our lives.

Like Andrew Murray has written “Let it be your business every day, in the secrecy of the inner chamber, to meet the holy God. You will be repaid for the trouble it may cost you. The reward will be sure and rich.”

Pray at all times (on every occasion, in every season) in the Spirit, with all [manner of] prayer and entreaty. To that end keep alert and watch with strong purpose and perseverance, interceding in behalf of all the saints (God’s consecrated people). (Eph. 6:18, AMP,*)

Prayer works. That’ how we can partner in God’s work. That’s how our needs are met. That’s how God wants us to communicate with him. Even Jesus prayed. And Jesus is –  right now – praying for us in heaven. Really.

Therefore He is able also to save to the uttermost (completely, perfectly, finally, and for all time and eternity) those who come to God through Him, since He is always living to make petition to God and intercede with Him and intervene for them. (Hebrews 7:25, AMP,*, emphasis added)

No matter how amazing it is to have Jesus praying for you, even that’s not all. Also the Holy Spirit is praying for you and helping you as you pray.

So too the [Holy] Spirit comes to our aid and bears us up in our weakness; for we do not know what prayer to offer nor how to offer it worthily as we ought, but the Spirit Himself goes to meet our supplication and pleads in or behalf with unspeakable yearnings and groanings too deep for utterance. And He Who searches the hearts of men knows what is in the mind of the [Holy] Spirit [what His intent is], because the Spirit intercedes and pleads [before God] in behalf of the saints according to and in harmony with God’s will. (Romans 8:26-27, AMP,*, emphasis added)

Our job is just to get into God’s presence. According to Mother Theresa “prayer is putting oneself in the hands of God, at His disposition, and listening to His voice in the depth of our hearts.”

Prayer is about surrendering.
Prayer is about trusting God and letting God work through you.
Prayer is about living in God’s presence.

And that is the secret of a prayer-filled life. Like Spurgeon has said “If you want that splendid power in prayer, you must remain in loving, living, lasting, conscious, practical, abiding union with the Lord Jesus Christ.”

It’s all about basking in God’s love.
It’s all about abiding in Christ.
Breathing in and out the Holy Spirit.

Only God can turn our duty into bliss.

 

Gracious God,
You have asked us to pray.
But you’ve hidden blessings in our duty.
How blessed we are, thank you.
You have asked us to pray.
But you’re praying for us yourself.
How blessed we are, thank you.
In Jesus’ name,
Amen

Q4U: How often/how much/how hard do you pray? What have you learned along the way about prayer?

Be blessed, my fellow pilgrim, as you pray hard and bask continually in His presence?

* [As you might have noticed, I enjoy reading the Bible in different translations and love comparing them. I have started linking the Bible verses to Biblegateway.com so you can easily read (and compare) them in the different versions I’ve used while preparing each post.]

Image courtesy of Joel Joseph, design Mari-Anna Stålnacke. Linking up today with Unite the Bloggersphere , Three Word Wednesday and #tellhisstory.