Prayer is Work

There are several kinds of people who don't pray. For example:

Strong people, they don't pray because the very essence of prayer is weakness and dependency. Our generation is so concerned about building our "self-esteem" that we have become like the church in Laodicea. In Revelation 3:17, Jesus said to that church, "You say, 'I am rich; I have acquired wealth and do not need a thing.' But you do not realize that you are wretched, pitiful, poor, blind and naked." The Laodiceans were too proud to realize how needy they really were.

Satisfied people, they don't pray because prayer is an attempt to see things change. Intercessors, God's praying people, live in a state of holy discontentment. They are seldom satisfied with the status quo. They are visionaries who can see what things ought to be and labor in prayer until they see them come to pass.

Slothful people, Lazy people don't pray because prayer is work. It's much easier for us to turn our head, ignore the responsibility God has given us and hope for the best, than it is to draw aside and appeal a case in heaven's court. For a lazy person, not praying is far easier than praying. Words that are often connected with the work of prayer include struggle, travail, wrestle and watch -- all of which denote effort.

When we pray, God works. But many of us don't have faith to believe. We'd rather believe that when we work, God works. Because we think God puts a premium on our work, rather than on our prayer, we put our emphasis on our work (which we can control and for which we can receive credit) rather than on God's work (which we can't control and for which only He receives glory)!

 

The bottom line is this: God is not impressed with our work; He is only impressed with His own work. And He has directly linked His work with our prayer. Yes, God has chosen prayer as a link between Him and man in order to carry out His will and purpose for creation. God literally performs His miraculous work through us in prayer!

Jesus knew this very well. He said, "I must work the works of him that sent me, while it is day" (John 9:4, KJV). Jesus saw His role on earth as doing His Father's work, not His own. He said, "I tell you the truth, the Son can do nothing by himself; he can do only what he sees his Father doing, because whatever the Father does the Son also does" (John 5:19). If Jesus could do nothing by Himself, wouldn't the same be true of us? In order for us to do the works of the Father, we must receive His instructions. We will, as Jesus did, receive the Father's instructions in prayer.

Quotation :

Hudson Taylor, the noted missionary servant of the historic revival in China, "You can work without praying, but that is a rather bad plan. You will, however, never be able to pray seriously without working."

Evangelist Billy Graham, "First pray . . . then work! That's the order of God. From one end of the Bible to the other, we find the record of people whose prayers have been answered -- people who turned the tide of history by prayer, men who prayed fervently and whom God answered."

Section One:  The Characteristics of Prayer, Lesson Five: Prayer is Humble

Eddie and Alice "America's prayer coaches"