When do you pray? How often do you pray? And what kinds of things do you pray about? I’m not trying to probe into your life…but just wanted to get you thinking about the role prayer plays in your daily routine.

At our breakfast table, Judy and I read from a devotional book. In the evening, we read through books of the Bible. A while back a Billy Graham thought on prayer impacted me. He talked about the privilege of prayer, and then began to list the times we are to pray.

  • 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 are to pray in times of security, lest we become self-sufficient.

Wow. It sounds like prayer ought to be our daily priority. I can tell you that over these past months as my wife has struggled with multiple surgeries, I have prayed. I have prayed in petition to God. I have prayed thanking God. I have prayed for the Lord’s guidance for surgeons. I have later prayed with the surgeons and let them know people around the world were praying. And Judy and I have felt the prayers of our many friends. Prayer is not theoretical…it is our lifeline to the Father.

Oswald Chambers once said, “The only way to get into the relationship of ‘asking’ is to get into the relationship of absolute reliance on the Lord Jesus.” Have you been there? Have you agonized in prayer…and rejoiced in prayer? Chambers also said, “Prayer does not prepare you for the greater work; it is the greater work.”

And we are confident that he hears us
whenever we ask for anything that pleases him.

1 John 5:14 NLT

We need to pray more, not less…according to His will, with confidence in the One who hears and answers our prayers. Let prayer be your greatest work today.