Devoted Prayer
Acts 2:42, “They were continually devoting themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer.”
What does the Bible say to us about being people devoted to prayer?
Psalm 145:18, “The Lord is near to all who call upon Him, to all who call upon Him in truth.”
Jeremiah 29:12, “Then you will call upon Me and come and pray to Me, and I will listen to you.”
Mark 11:24, “Therefore I say to you, all things for which you pray and ask, believe that you have received them, and they will be granted you.”
John 15:7, “If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you.”
Romans 12:12, “Rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer.”
Philippians 4:6, “Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.”
Colossians 4:2, “Devote yourselves to prayer, keeping alert in it with an attitude of thanksgiving;”
1 Thessalonians 5:17, “pray without ceasing;”
That is just a sampling of passages of Scripture about prayer. In fact depending on the English translation you are using there are between 320 and 550+ verses in the Bible that mention prayer. There are more than 650 recorded prayers in the Bible. There are prayers of thanksgiving, prayers of confession, prayers of faith, prayers of petition, prayers of worship, prayers of consecration, prayers of intercession, private prayer, and corporate prayers.
The people of God pray. Prayer is intentionally communicating a message to God. Prayer is sometimes defined as pouring your heart out to God. Christians pray because we are commanded to pray. We pray because Christ, our Savior and example of Godliness, prayed. We pray because it is how we engage in relationship and communication with God. We pray to show our trust and dependence on God. We pray to seek God’s solution to a variety of circumstances in our lives. We pray to overcome temptation. We pray because God tells us that the prayers of the righteous accomplish much (James 5:16).
When we gather for corporate worship, there are several verbalized prayers led by someone from the front of the church for the whole church. When those prayers end, we should privately to ourselves or verbally say, “Amen,” because we are not just listening to someone else pray but have engaged in prayer with them ourselves. When we are in small group Bible studies, we should offer prayer requests, and we should pray as a group. When we are with another believer for conversation or fellowship, we should take a moment to pray for one another.
You should start your time in daily Bible reading with prayer, asking God to show Himself to you in His Word, and to help you understand what He is saying to you for that day. You should end the day in personal or family prayer, thanking God for His provision for the day, His protection while you sleep, and His direction for the day to come, if He tarries through the night. You should pray with an attitude that His will be done, not your own. Ask boldly in God’s name for the things you are praying for, but always mindful that His answer will be best, and His timing will be perfect.
We began 2025 committing to God to practice the fundamentals of church: evangelism, discipleship, fellowship, ministry, worship, prayer, and stewardship. Make prayer a daily practice. It is Biblical, it is Christlike, it is powerful, and it is essential.
By His Grace and For His Glory,
Pastor Mark
