Why did Abraham intercede so fervently for Lot when he and his family were about to be struck by fire in Sodom (Gen. 18)?
Why did Moses spend 40 days at the mountain top seeking the face of God before receiving the tablets of stone with the law and the commandments (Exod. 19)?
Why did Samuel spend an entire night pleading for Saul after he had been rejected by God (1 Sam. 15:10-11)?
Why did Nehemiah cry out for many days when he heard about the condition of his people in Jerusalem (Neh. 1:4)?
Why prayer?
Why did Elijah go up to the top of Carmel and bow down to the ground with his face between his knees before rain came down (1 Kings 18)?
Why did Daniel go to his upper room, open his window toward Jerusalem, and pray to God three times a day, after he learned that the decree had been issued (Dan. 6)?
Why did Isaiah proclaim: “My soul yearns for You in the night; my spirit within me earnestly seeks You” (Isa. 26:9, ESV)?
Why did David pray: “In the morning, Lord, You hear my voice; in the morning I lay my requests before You and wait expectantly” (Ps. 5:3, NIV)?
Why did Elisha …? Why did Jehoshaphat …? Why did Habakkuk …? Why did Jeremiah …?
Why prayer?
Why did Jesus go to the mountain and spend the whole night in prayer before choosing His 12 disciples (Luke 6:12-16)?
Why did the disciples continuously gather in prayer as the church started its journey to proclaim the gospel (Acts 1:12-14)?
Why did the believers pray earnestly for Peter while he was in prison (Acts 12:5)?
Why did Paul warn us to “pray in the Spirit at all times and on every occasion. Stay alert and be persistent in your prayers for all believers everywhere” (Eph. 6:18, NLT)?
Why did Jesus tell us to go into our room, shut the door and pray to our Father “who is in the secret place” (Matt. 6:6, NKJV)?
Why prayer?
Why was Jesus so passionate about His own prayer life? Luke 5:16 says, “But Jesus often withdrew to lonely places and prayed” (NIV).
In his book, Quiet Talks on Prayer, S.D. Gordon illustrates Jesus holding fast to prayer:
How much prayer meant to Jesus! It was not only his regular habit, but his resort in every emergency, however slight or serious. When perplexed he prayed. When hard pressed by work he prayed. When hungry for fellowship he found it in prayer. He chose his associates and received his messages upon his knees. If tempted, he prayed. If criticized, he prayed. If fatigued in body or wearied in spirit, he had recourse to his one unfailing habit of prayer. Prayer brought him unmeasured power at the beginning, and kept the flow unbroken and undiminished. There was no emergency, no difficulty, no necessity, no temptation that would not yield to prayer.
Jesus prayed with passion. How do you pray? Prayer was vital for Jesus, for the early church and for so many men and women described in the Bible. Is prayer a priority in your life?
As servants of God, we have a great mission that involves transforming communities through the power of the Holy Spirit, penetrating the darkness and rescuing people from the hands of Satan. If Jesus Himself did not do anything on His own, but only what He saw and heard from His father, do we dare to embark on our mission without this necessary connection with Almighty God?
Prayer opens our eyes and allows us to see what God is doing and how He is doing it. God is up to something greater in the year ahead. Let us go often and pray fervently in the secret place.
Let us pray.
Prayer Points
- Pray for the Holy Spirit to stir up a passion for prayer in every Foursquare pastor and leader.
- Pray that our churches will become communities of passionate prayer warriors.
- Pray that a spirit of faith to see the impossible will rise up in our movement.
Share your thoughts. See comments below, and add your own.
