Living a Life of Prayer, Part 1

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July 31, 2022

In developing a lifestyle of prayer, we must be honest about how much we value it. Prayer is valuable and powerful. It is the primary way we communicate with and invite God into our lives and circumstances. What is a lifestyle of prayer worth to you is the first part of a series of entries on how to develop a lifestyle of prayer. But first, we must be honest about where we are and invite God to help us build a lifestyle of prayer.

The value of prayer.

Acts 12: 1-17

How much is a life of prayer worth to you?

Before you answer quickly, take a moment to truly consider this question.

I came across a story about value recently. A small business owner purchased a bottle of water from a local grocery store and paid .99 cents for it. A few days later, she was at a gas station and needed some water and paid $1.50 for the same bottle of water. Not long after, headed out of town, the lady purchased some water for the plane and bought the same bottle she had from the grocery store and gas station. She paid $5.00 for it at the airport. It was at that moment she learned a lesson. We determine the value of what something is worth to us. These retailers valued the water at different price points, knowing that desperation and convenience will drive customers to pay whatever is demanded. She determined her merchandise from her small business was worth a lot and placed a value tag that reflected it. We place high value when something is of great worth to us.

"We place a high value on something of worth to us."

Prayer is powerful. Prayer is how we talk with and listen to God. Prayer transforms hearts and changes situations for God’s glory and our good. And even when we don’t have the answer we hope for, prayer still gives us an audience with the Almighty King of Glory, the sovereign God, who always hears us.

In Acts 12: 1-17, Peter is imprisoned for preaching the gospel. The night before he was tried, he had a supernatural encounter. The angel of the Lord stood before him, waking Peter up from his sleep (side note: impressive how Peter is asleep in the middle of waiting for trial. He was in total peace. I may have been crying my eyeballs out if I were in his shoes. This is an example of one who embodies the peace that Jesus freely gives. # goals). The chains that bound Peter’s wrists, chained to the guards, fall off instantly, and the angel walks him out of prison. What is so encouraging about this story is verse 5, where it says, “But while Peter was in prison, the church prayed very earnestly for him.” NLT. You see, God sent the angel to set Peter free, but I believe it was the prayer of the believers on Paul’s behalf to God that sent the angel to Peter’s deliverance. Prayer changes things.

So if prayer is a big deal

why is it so challenging to sit and pray for longer than ten minutes? why do we see only a handful of people in prayer meetings or hear the phrase, “Prayer isn’t my thing; I don’t have the gift of “intercession.” Perhaps we have become so comfortable with our conveniences we do not see the need to ask for anything. Or we have become so full of knowledge and information that the need to desperately lean on God, and His might, has become irrelevant. Maybe it is apathy from praying for a long time with no physical evidence of a result. If any of the above reasons (and possibly more that are not mentioned) resonate, let me encourage you. Keep praying. Don’t stop.

John Bunyan once said, “You can do more than pray after you have prayed, but you cannot do more than pray until you have prayed.” We accomplish so much more when we pray.

You may not see the results you hoped for, you may not see the answer in the way you imagined, but God hears you and will respond if you wait to hear Him - Jeremiah 33:3. You don’t have to be eloquent in your words; God already knows what you need before you ask. But he wants us to ask, so we can engage our faith by inviting Him into our situation. And even if you do not think you are the quintessential intercessor, it doesn’t mean you cannot stand in prayer on behalf of a brother and sister. In our text, everyone, not just intercessors, prayed. Everyone lifted their hearts to God, young, old, new, and seasoned believers. Everyone lifted their voices to God in prayer.

“You can do more than pray after you have prayed, but you cannot do more than pray until you have prayed.”

John Bunyon

1 Thessalonians 5: 17 NLT says, “Never stop praying.” Pray in your car on your commute to work or during carpool. Pray in the shower while considering all the tasks for the day or contemplating how the day unfolded. Pray over the phone with a friend who needs encouragement. Pray when you are stuck in traffic or cruising on the highway. Pray when your heart feels anxious. If prayer is worth it, it is simply talking to the Lord.

Friends, when we consider prayer worth it, we place a high value on it. So let’s go back to the question I asked in the beginning. How much is prayer worth to you? If your answer is a lot, let your schedule, attitude, and heart posture reflect it. If your response is not that much, I encourage you to ask God to help you make it a priority.

We will continue to unpack how we can develop a prayer life in the following blog entries. In the meantime, check out this Amazon book list on some prayer books to help you get started on how to develop a life of prayer. And if you have some good ones to recommend, please share them in the comments.

Be inspired and live transformed in Jesus Christ.