Prayer is the foundation of every successful Christian
endeavor. Time spent with God is vital if you desire a fruitful
Christian life. As the foundation of every Christian endeavor,
it plays a vital role in living a successful Christian life. Study
the lives of the great men and women of God from the past,
and you’ll see the strong emphasis they placed on prayer.
Without prayer, they would never have been able to achieve
such tremendous results.
Throughout the New Testament we can see the value of
prayer in the founding of the early churches. The Apostle Paul
prayed and interceded many hours for the new believers. In
Ephesians 1:16 he wrote, “[I] Cease not to give thanks for you,
making mention of you in my prayers.” In Colossians 1:3 he
said, “We give thanks to God and the Father of our Lord Jesus
Christ, praying always for you.” In 1 Thessalonians 5:17, he
instructed the Church to “pray without ceasing.” Luke 18:1
says, “Men ought always to pray, and not to faint.”
It is not enough to know that we should pray. We need to
know why. Look at Ephesians 4:14-16:
That we henceforth be no more children, tossed to
and fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine,
by the sleight of men, and cunning craftiness,
whereby they lie in wait to deceive; but speaking
the truth in love, may grow up into him in all things,
which is the head, even Christ: from whom the whole
body fitly joined together and compacted by that
which every joint supplieth, according to the effectual
working in the measure of every part, maketh increase
of the body unto the edifying of itself in love.
Compare the Body of Christ to a brick building. The bricks
would topple if they were not joined together. Mortar forms
those bricks into a solid, impenetrable wall. It is held together,
or made useful, by the effectual working of every part. In the
same way, the power of love, through prayer and intercession,
is the mortar which knits the Body of Christ together. Each
member, or “brick,” contributes his part by building up the
Body and strengthening it through prayer. If one is injured, or
weakened in some way, the others are able to stand in prayer
and make up for that weakness.
