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God commands us be devoted to prayer (Rom. 12:12).
What does it mean to be devoted, and change our lives
to be devoted to prayer?
Devoted
Here are some helpful definitions:
- devote: "give entirely to a specific person,
activity, or cause" (Dictionary.com.
WordNet 3.0. Princeton University).
- devoted: "zealous or ardent in attachment,
loyalty, or affection" (Dictionary.com).
When we are devoted to something, we give ourselves
completely to it. In other words, we make it a top priority.
Because we're devoted to prayer, we pray without ceasing.
- "Rejoice always; pray without ceasing; in
everything give thanks; for this is God's
will for you in Christ Jesus" (1 Th. 5:16-18).
- "With all prayer and petition pray at all times
in the Spirit, and with this in view, be on the alert
with all perseverance and petition for all the
saints" (Eph. 6:18).
We pray all the time, constantly giving thanks to God
and asking his favor throughout the day.
As a result, we exhibit a prayerful attitude in everything
we do, mindful of God and His will.
We rejoice all the time, placing our confidence in
God, as we pray without ceasing, in everything giving
thanks.
Jesus
Jesus is the best example of someone devoted to prayer.
Jesus prayed for long periods of time, sometimes praying
all night.
- "It was at this time that He went off to the
mountain to pray, and He spent the whole night
in prayer to God" (Lk. 6:12).
He often went places where he could pray without distractions,
slipping away to the wilderness to pray.
- "But Jesus Himself would often slip away to
the wilderness and pray" (Lk. 5:16).
He also taught His disciples to pray all the time.
- "Now He was telling them a parable to show that
at all times they ought to pray and not to lose heart"
(Lk. 18:1).
As Jesus' disciples, we are devoted to prayer. We
pray all the time, not losing heart as we do His will.
Examples
God wants us to pray all the time.
- "Rejoice always; pray without ceasing; in everything
give thanks; for this is God's will for you
in Christ Jesus" (1 Th. 5:16-18).
- "Therefore I want the men in every place to
pray, lifting up holy hands, without wrath and
dissension" (1 Tim. 2:8).
For example, after Peter and John were interrogated
and threatened by the Sanhedrin, they returned to their
companions and reported what happened. Hearing their
report, the brethren prayed (Acts 4:23-30).
On another occasion, Herod imprisoned Peter, waiting
till after the days of Unleavened Bread to kill him.
As a result, Christians prayed fervently for him, even
praying late into the night, while other people were
sleeping (Acts 12:1-12).
God wants us to be devoted to prayer.
- He wants us to humble ourselves, and cast our anxieties
on Him (1 Pet. 5:6-7).
- He wants us to make our requests known to him in
prayer and supplication, so we'll have the peace of
God that surpasses all comprehension (Phil. 4:6-7).
- He wants us to pray for physical prosperity, in
addition to spiritual prosperity (3 Jn. 1:2).
Are You Devoted to Prayer?
There's a few things we have to do to be devoted to
prayer.
- We have to learn how to pray and not lose heart,
just as the Jesus taught His disciples.
- We have to make prayer a priority.
- We have to make time to pray, putting it before
other activities.
- We have to arrange our schedules to have the energy
to devote to prayer.
Here are some thought questions:
- How often do you pray?
- Do you pray all the time?
- Do you rejoice all the time, because you're praying
all the time?
- Do you put prayer before recreation?
- Do you have time for recreation, but not for prayer?
- Do you work so much, you don't have energy to pray?
- Do you care enough about prayer, to make it a priority
in life?
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