We live in a time where life is terribly complex and exhaustingly busy. Our culture offers little time or encouragement for qualm, quiet, meditation and prayer. Everyone, including Christians, are often so busy, even doing good and godly things, but little attention is often given to the needs of the soul, and our connection with God.In 1 Timothy 2, we find Paul urging Timothy to put prayer at the top of his priority list as prayer is the essential element of the Christian life. In the New Testament we see the necessity of prayer. In Ephesians 6 Paul talks about our spiritual battle and our spiritual armor. Then he tells us to: “Pray at all times, with alertness and perseverance for all the saints” (Eph. 6:18).We are to pray when the demands of life overwhelm us. When we under spiritual attack and temptation getting the best of us. When we are anxious, when we are in need. We are urged to pray at all times.Prayer, as any spiritual activity, can be misused, distorted, or become mechanical. It can become hypocrisy if it is done merely as a public performance to be seen by others. Jesus criticized this practice (Matt. 6:5-8).Paul told the Thessalonians, “Pray without ceasing” (1 Thess. 5:17). This means we should pray throughout the day, anytime and anywhere. This doesn’t mean we shouldn’t have regular prayer at a specific times and places, like at bedtime or at meals, but it simply means that God hears us, no matter the hour or place.Another common distortion of prayer is when we use prayer as a substitute for action. We must pray for our concerns and for others, but we cannot use this as an excuse for not doing what we need to do to help and assist others.Prayer is not to be our “last resort.” It seems that some people’s motto is: “when all else fails, pray,” but should be “Before I do anything, I need to pray.” God wants us to come to Him all the time, not just when we’re in trouble.Paul wrote to Timothy: “First of all, then, I urge that petitions, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings be made…” (1 Tim. 2:1). In other words, the first thing I urge is prayer. He was not suggesting that prayer was a good idea, but that prayer is of great importance. That means it must be a top priory.There are ...
