When entering a storm, remember Jesus is in your boat. It is never too late to pray, and it is always too early to panic.
"If Jesus is asleep in your boat, WAKE HIM UP!" Dr. W. Fred Swank
Luke 22:41
Prayer separates you from what is good & invests your life in what is best. Jesus spent time with His followers, but He invested Himself in intimate communication with His Father. You can too. PRAY!
"He withdrew...knelt down and began to pray." LK 22:41
Luke 9:18
"While He was praying alone, the disciples were with Him..." LK 9:18
It is possible to be alone with God, even on a crowded plane, a busy sidewalk, in traffic gridlock, or in an intimidating classroom. When Jesus heard people talking, He prayed for them to hear from God. You can too.
Tazer from Tozer
"How long, O Lord, holy & true, will You refrain from judging & avenging our blood on those who dwell on the earth?" REV 6:10
Evil is ancient, not timeless. It has a shelf-life. God's vengeance is on schedule, not to seek revenge, but to avenge His martyrs.
WARNING! Taser from Tozer
"The amount of loafing practiced by the average Christian in spiritual things would ruin a concert pianist if he allowed himself to do the same thing in the field of music. The idle puttering around we see in church circles would end the career of a big league pitcher in one week."
A. W. Tozer
Dead Frogs
An electric current passing through a dead frog can make it jump, but it doesn't restore life. A prayerless church may appear to be active, but a death-defying appearance is no substitute for life-giving prayer. So, pray.
"Lord, teach us to pray." LK 11:1
James 1:2
“Consider it all joy, my brethren, when you encounter various trials,” James 1:2
Joy is the fruit of The Spirit, but it is also learned behavior. Trials squeeze out what is in your heart, not what is on your Christian T-shirt. Before you say it, learn to pray it.
So, we pray.
Jesus was attracted to The Presence of His Father & people were attracted to Jesus. See the connection?
Prayer preceded His preaching & it prepared the hearts of people to hear a word from God.
Prayer prepares the preacher in the pulpit & the people in the pew. So, we pray.
Luke 3:22
"...and a voice came out of heaven..." Luke 3:22
Prayer is not a good idea. It is God's idea. The Father initiated communication with His Son, right after His act of obedience.
Through His Son, the Father offers prayer to His children.
He desires to maintain consistent communication with them.
Prayer is a child-like embrace of the Father. Prayerlessness is childish, & it stiff-arms the work of His Spirit.
Psalms 56:3
“When I am afraid, I will put my trust in You.” Psalms 56:3
When I am afraid, I turn to prayer as a thermostat, not as a thermometer. Prayer doesn't register the heat of a crisis. It changes the climate of a crisis. Be cool.
So, we pray.
"To accept Christ it is necessary that we reject whatever is contrary to Him. This is a fact often overlooked by eager evangelists bent on getting results." A. W. Tozer
Prayerlessness is unacceptable & contrary to everything the Bible says about Christ. So, we pray.