Prayer: Not Just A Religious Exercise

For Paul, prayer wasn’t just a religious exercise; it was a way of life.

He said, “For God is my witness, whom I serve with my spirit in the gospel of His Son, that without ceasing I make mention of you always in my prayers” (Romans 1:9).

The good news of Jesus Christ stirred Paul to pray without ceasing. The fact that humanity’s sins were forever forgiven through Jesus Christ’s death, burial, and resurrection had Paul constantly in prayer for the saints in Rome.

Paul was no hypocrite when it came to prayer. He didn’t just talk or teach the necessity about prayer, he prayed. He didn’t give a courtesy “I’ll pray” when needs were presented, he prayed. Prayer for Paul wasn’t some religious exercise that he took a couple of minutes out of his day to do, nor did he pretend to pray.

Paul was a man of prayer, which meant that prayer was more than just a once in a while thing he did a couple minutes a day, or when it was convenient. Rather, Paul prayed constantly and consistently. Prayer for Paul was literally a way of life.

He continually prayed for God’s will and God’s strength to be manifested in the life of his fellow believers (Ephesians 3:14-21).

Such was the life of God’s servant, David. David said, “Evening and morning and at noon I will pray, and cry aloud, and He shall hear my voice” (Psalm 55:17).

Such a life of prayer is found throughout God’s word.

The Bible says that Jesus “Spoke a parable to them, that men always ought to pray and not lose heart” (Luke 18:1).

The Apostle Paul said, “I desire therefore that the men pray everywhere, lifting up holy hands, without wrath and doubting” (1 Timothy 2:8 cf. Ephesians 6:18; Philippians 4:6-7; Colossians 4:2-3; and 1 Thessalonians 5:17).

So let’s make prayer a way of life and not just a morning or evening exercise.