Prayer is a Biblical topic that is rarely preached on. It's part of the measure of a Christian, yet it is not often discussed among believers. Training for prayer is practically unheard of, though training for sharing the Gospel or preaching or being a successful Christian business person is readily available. Let's face it, some of the statements that the Bible makes about prayer seem contradictory and even a little embarrassing, and I think that adds to our reluctance to offer concrete teaching about prayer. There is no money back guarantee of success. In fact, sometimes I think success in prayer is sort of elusive, like humility- if you claim to be humble, you probably aren't, really. While I sometimes tell people that I do pray or will pray for them, I make no claim to being a successful pray-er- and who would?
Yet, in my heart, I feel the need for more prayer. Some days I sense that I cannot deal with anything well without it, but it is often a low priority. Trust me, I know that I can pray anywhere at any time, and I know that we are supposed to pray without ceasing, but Jesus often got up early in the morning and went away to pray. (Have you ever wondered about the fact that Jesus had to pray? I mean, he was God, yet when he wrapped himself with the bonds of humanity, he had to begin praying, just like any other human.) If he went away to pray, shouldn't that be our example? Sometimes I think the "pray without ceasing" thing is used as a cop out, to excuse praying only when it is convenient. Trust me, I am reminding myself as I write these things, I make no claim to perfection in this department, yet I feel a need to talk about prayer, and to renew my commitment to pray daily in a focused way. If Jesus had to pray to the Father, then how do I think I can live this life without doing the same?
