Lack of Prayer Means Spiritual Paralysis

Are you praying consistently? If you’re not praying, you’re a paradox of powerless paralysis.

April’s Awakening, Day 8

Bibles read without prayer, sermons heard without prayer, engagements to marriage without prayer, travel undertaken without prayer, homes chosen without prayer, friendships formed without prayer, the daily act of private prayer itself hurried over or gone through without heart—these are the kind of downward steps by which many a Christian descends to a condition of spiritual paralysis, or reaches the point where God allows him to have a tremendous fall.

 —J. C. Ryle  

If we are too busy to pray, we are too busy to have power. We have a great deal of activity, but we accomplish little; many services but few conversions; much machinery but few results.

 —R. A. Torrey 

Of all the duties enjoined by Christianity none is more essential and yet more neglected than prayer.

 —F. Fénelon 

I once thought, in my ignorance, that most people said their prayers, and many people prayed. I have lived to think differently. I have come to the conclusion that the great majority of professing Christians do not pray at all.

 —J. C. Ryle 

Truly we have learned a great lesson when we have learned that “saying prayers” is not praying!

 —J. C. Ryle

For this reason, since the day we heard about you, we have not stopped praying for you. We continually ask God to fill you with the knowledge of his will through all the wisdom and understanding that the Spirit gives, so that you may live a life worthy of the Lord and please him in every way: bearing fruit in every good work, growing in the knowledge of God, being strengthened with all power according to his glorious might so that you may have great endurance and patience, and giving joyful thanks to the Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of his holy people in the kingdom of light. Colossians 1:9–12 NIV   

            It is an unfortunate and all too common paradox to claim to be a Christian and not pray. Yet it is more prevalent and more pervasive in our society today than ever before. A Christian life without prayer is a life paralyzed and ineffective. If you do not know exactly how or what to pray for yourself and others, then the Scripture above is a great place to start. Pray for understanding God’s will for your life and for God’s will to be done; to live a life worthy and pleasing to Him in every way; to bear good fruit in every task that you undertake; to know Him better; to be strengthened with His power to have great endurance and patience; to give joyful thanks to Him in everything; and to look forward to all the blessings He has for you yet to come. Prayer, just like everything in life, is learned by doing, and doing it frequently. Just pray. Pray or be paralyzed.