When we don’t understand that impact that prayer has in a Christian’s life it could be easy to marginalize it. See it as not that important. One of many things we need to do. Another thing to add to our already busy schedules. Something we know we should do but rarely get around to doing it. If this describes you, it might be because you don’t understand what you can have access to through Jesus Christ.
Christians are not ordinary human beings. They have access to unlimited supernatural power. They have access to the very power that holds the universe together. The intelligence that created everything in it. Access to a being of unlimited power and intelligence. A being that is full of love for you and I.
“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him.” – John 3:16-17.
When we have accepted Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior something amazing happens in the spiritual dimension. We are given a new status before God. We are now considered his children. “See what kind of love the Father has given to us, that we should be called children of God; and so we are…” – 1 John 3:1. God is our Father and He wants to give us blessings. Emotional, spiritual and material blessings. All we have to do is ask him in prayer.
“Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives, and the one who seeks finds, and to the one who knocks it will be opened. Or which one of you, if his son asks him for bread, will give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a serpent? If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask him!” – Matthew 7:7-11.
Every blessing comes only when we ask. God won’t force our will. We can’t be saved unless we ask him to forgive us of our sins. We can’t even repent without God moving supernaturally in our life in some way… usually in answer to someone else’s prayer on your behalf. Every good thing we receive comes through prayer.
Discouraged about your life? Take it to God in prayer. Don’t know where you’ll get the money to pay your bills? Let God know your needs and ask him to help you pay them. Don’t feel like reading your Bible or praying? Ask Him to give you the desire to do it and he will answer your prayer.
So this brings us back to the title of this post. Is it possible to pray too much? Not if you understand what prayer does. It isn’t logic that will convince someone of their need of Jesus. It is the prayer behind the words that will change their hearts. Every good thing we can experience or receive in this world comes through the gateway of prayer. Jesus himself gave us a model of how much we should pray. The Bible tells us that he spent whole nights in prayer. The Bible also tells us to pray without ceasing (1 Thessalonians 5:17). Most of us are in danger of praying far too little. It is extremely rare to find someone who is praying too much… If that is even possible.
As we look towards a new year we should open ourselves to the reality that the reason that we have received little spiritual blessing in our life is because we have prayed little. The reason God isn’t able to move more in our life is because of our lack in the prayer department. The reason we have a hard time knowing the purpose of our life is because we haven’t been seeking our purpose from Him through prayer.
Can you pray too much? I have to say no. Prayer gives you a heart of compassion for others. Prayer moves you to tears for the injustice in the world. Prayer gives you a heart for people who have lost hope in the world. It gives you a heart to share Jesus with as many people as possible. Lots of prayer will lead you to lots of effective action.
Will you take the prayer challenge today? Will you ask God to give you the ability to pray more? With more passion? You won’t regret it.
