Why Not Just Pray?

Do you pray? 

Do you really pray much?

When was the last time you spent over 20 minutes in prayer? 

When was the last time you spent over 30 minutes in prayer consistently?

When was the last time you were broken over your own sin during prayer?

Are you broken over your own sin consistently in prayer? 

Do you truly cry out to God consistently for your spouse? 

Do you pray consistently for your children’s eternal salvation? 

Do you pray for your children’s future spouse?  

Do you truly cry out to God consistently over lost people who you see each day? 

Do you spend time in prayer over your small group members?

How much time do you pray for the person you’re meeting with in discipleship?

Do you ask for other’s advise for that disciple’s problems or do you pray for wisdom? 

Do you consistently confess your sins in prayer to God?

Have you prayed for any unreached people groups lately? Any missionaries by name?

Take a breath. 

Do you feel beat down? The intent is not to discourage. But these questions do beg the next question: Why not? 

If we really believed that God hears all our prayers and is moving and transforming and interacting in people’s minds and hearts—would we pray more? What keeps you from more earnest prayer? 

So, what does our lack of prayer really reveal about what we think about God? 

“He really doesn’t care.” “He’s too busy.” 

“It seems like He never answers my prayers anyway.” “It seems like He never answers the way I wanted Him to answer.” 

“I’m too busy.” “No one has time for prayer like they did in former times." 

“God is sovereign so it doesn’t matter if we pray or not…He's going to do His will anyway.” 

“I never feel anything when I pray.” 

“I see signs and miracles in the Bible when people prayed, but nothing happens when I pray.” 

What do these type of thoughts reveal at a deeper heart level about our view of God? 

When I think about prayer, it can be both convicting and encouraging. I know everyone says that any talk of more prayer is always convicting. But the season of life we’ve just went through and the events of 2014 for our family have been some of the most difficult in all aspects of life. Yet, even through these events, I wasn’t pressed to prayer as I should have. I was pressed to feel sorry for myself. I was pressed to complain. I was pressed to anger. I was pressed to frustration. I was pressed to doubt. But I didn’t respond with prayer near as much as I should have. Therefore, it is particularly convicting, not merely generally convicting. But at the same time it is encouraging to know that God isn’t mad at me or that I’ve missed the boat on what God wants to do. With prayer, I believe all of us simply need to stop and pray. I have been trying to do that more in the last couple of months. 

We must remember that the changes that we desire for our own hearts as well as those around us must be a sovereign work of God at the heart level among them. I cannot change anyone at the core heart level. I cannot bring heart change. I cannot get us to perform tasks enough or serve enough or read enough or teach enough or add nights of ministry that will bring about the change we desire. God, will change hearts through prayer. We need an emphasis on John 15:5, “Apart from Me, you can do nothing.” Our own minds and our present culture are so busy that it seems counter-productive to slow down and spend many minutes each day—much less an hour or two each day in prayer and meditation. 

Our problem in not seeing more people come to Christ is not because of a lack of programs or staff positions, but instead it is a lack of love.1 We think we love people. But we don’t. We’re selfish with our time. Too selfish to pray and believe and then clarify the gospel with them. Too selfish to pray and weep over their souls. That is not love. We like to think we’re loving, but we’re not. The type of love we need—we can’t come up with by a decision on our part. We need a miracle at the heart level to change us to where we truly have heavy hearts for the lost around us and around the world. God can give us this type of heart. God is the supplier. But He does this type of thing in answer to prayer. 

So what if we as followers of Christ did just the opposite? Instead of more time planning, strategizing, organizing, scheduling, preparing—what if we spent more time praying that small amounts of those areas would suffice the spiritual awakening that God might bring about around us? Prayer is the medium of communication God has designed for repentance. Why not that? 

Sankie P. Lynch 

Assoc. Pastor of Discipleship and Young Families

www.nbchurch.info

www.nbfamilies.info

sankie@nbchurch.info

John Piper Brothers, We Are Not Professionals 'Brothers, Let Us Pray'