Men ought always to pray and not to faint – Luke 18:1
The devil will do anything to keep you from praying. You’ll be too tired, too busy, too depressed-it’s endless. There’s a reason: in prayer I get real. When I’m alone with God, the pretense is gone, for He knows my heart. There I repent of attitudes and actions that don’t seem to bother me at other times. Prayer keeps me honest. Have you found it to be that way? In prayer, God speaks to me. No, it’s not an audible voice, but it’s unmistakably His voice speaking to the deepest part of my consciousness.
Sometimes it’s just a word. Isaiah says, “Morning by morning He … gives me a word” (Isaiah 50:4, paraphrase). If God talked to men and women all through the Bible, then shouldn’t we expect Him to speak to us, too? In prayer, He teaches me to be thankful. ”With thanksgiving let your requests be made known” (Philippians 4:6). Jan Crouch used to say, ”If you were Jesus, wouldn’t you like to be thanked before you get involved?” Today, take some time out and get alone with God in prayer. You’ll be glad you did.
