Daily Devotion With Pastor Dan – September 23rd, 2020
(1 Peter 4:7)…..But the end of all things is at hand; therefore be serious and watchful in your prayers.
We are in serious times, that call for serious action from the Christian. We are in desperate need of those who are believers and followers of Jesus Christ to be serious in our prayer life. Not that we have not been, but our prayer life now should take on a more fervent, more passionate, more real, more desired, more expectant, more disciplined behavior. When I think about prayer, I think of two in the Scriptures (besides Christ) who had an exceptional prayer life. These are of course Daniel and Elijah.
Daniel prayed three times daily (Daniel 6:10), a demonstration of his continual dependence upon God. He gave thanks in the midst of persecution, a demonstration of his gratitude, and the fact that he had not lost sight of God’s blessings. His prayers were a “custom since early days”, demonstrating his persistence and faithfulness in his service to God
James speaks of Elijah who was a man with a nature like ours, but his prayer life was one that availed much (James 5:16-18). Can that be said of our prayer life? Elijah prayed earnestly that it would not rain, and of course it didn’t for three and a half years. Wow! And his prayer was so effective that the rain began again. Again, how does our prayer life compare?
Prayer availeth much. It avails much with God. It avails much in the history of His Church and people. Prayer is the one great power which the Church can exercise in securing the working of God’s omnipotence in the world.
The prayer of a righteous man availeth much. That is, a man who has the righteousness of Christ, not only as a garment covering him, but as a life-power inspiring him, as a new man “created in righteousness and true holiness (Ephesians 4:24). A man that lives as “the servant to righteousness” (Romans 6:16,19). These are the righteous whom the Lord loveth and who’s prayer hath power (Psalm 66:18-19) (1 John 3:22). When Christ gave His great prayer promises in the last night, it was to those who keep His commandments. “If you love Me, you will keep my commandments; and I will pray the Father, and He will give you another Comforter” (John 14:15-16). “If you keep My commandments, you shall abide in My love; and you so ask whatsoever you will, and it shall be done unto you” (John 15:7,10).
“The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much.” It is only when the righteous man stirs up himself and rouses his whole being to take hold of God that the prayer availeth much. Ask Jacob said: “I will not let Thee go;” as the importunate widow gave the just judge no rest, so it is that the effectual fervent prayer effects great things.
And then comes the effectual fervent prayer of many righteous. When two or three agree, there is the promise of an answer. How much more when hundreds and thousands unite with one accord to cry to God to display His mighty power on behalf of His people. Let us join those who have united themselves to call upon God for the mighty power of His Holy Spirit in His Church. What a great and blessed work, and what a sure prospect, in God’s time, of an abundant answer! Let us pray God individually and unitedly for the grace of the effectual fervent prayer which availeth much.
Andrew Murray
We need to learn the lesson that the finest of God’s servants must maintain regular and fixed prayer habits in order to continue steadfast in devotion to the Lord.” (Strauss)
As Christians, we too are to pray often, and we need to be purposeful about what we take before the Lord (1Thessalonians 5:17-18) (Colossians 4:2). If our efforts to live purposeful, principled, and pure lives are not what they should be, could an undisciplined “prayer life” be the reason?