This little poem, “Take Time to Pray,” gently reminds us about the importance of setting aside time each day for personal prayer and communication with our heavenly Father. I Thessalonians 5:17 sets a wonderful goal for our individual prayer lives.
I Thessalonians 5:17:
Pray without ceasing.
This means we can pray at every opportunity we get. Prayer can be a continuing practice. George Müller, Christian evangelist and coordinator of orphanages in England in the 19th century, stated that he lived in the spirit of prayer. A believing man living in France in the 1600s wrote: “We cannot escape the dangers which abound in life without the actual and continual help of God. Let us, then, pray to Him for it continually. How can we pray to Him without being with Him? How can we be with Him but in thinking of Him often? And how can we often think of Him but by a holy habit which we should form of it?” The habit of prayer brings God into the picture on a consistent basis.
God’s Word tells us that an important element of our prayer life is prayer with the understanding.
I Corinthians 14:15:
What is it then? I will pray with the spirit, and I will pray with the understanding also: I will sing with the spirit, and I will sing with the understanding also.
It is wonderful to set aside time every day to verbalize our thoughts and concerns as well as our thankfulness and praise to the One Who is always there and always cares.
In His Word, God shows us a wonderful benefit of prayer with the understanding.
Philippians 4:6:
Be careful [anxious] for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God.
It is never, never God’s will for us to be anxious or to worry. Instead, we can pray to God knowing He is capable of handling our needs. Three words in this verse show tremendous aspects of prayer.
First of all—“prayer.” The Greek word translated “prayer” here is not only used of prayer addressed to God, but it is also used regarding a specific place of prayer, a place in the open air, situated upon the bank of a stream or the shore of a sea, where the Judeans were known to pray. Although God doesn’t require us to be in a specific location to communicate with Him, having a place to pray could be a great practical aid in incorporating more prayer into our day. Some of us may have a special room in our home or a garden or a nearby park. Some people love to take walks outside and talk to God then. We want to utilize whatever will help us take the time to pray.
The second word in this verse that we’ll look at is “supplication.” This has to do with specific requests, like petitions. Even if we don’t know all the details of a situation, getting as specific with God as we can helps us to believe for that answer to prayer we are seeking. It’s not a question of God’s needing to know our needs; it’s a question of our getting ourselves attuned and lined up with the will of God. It is a question of getting our believing in line with the Word of God so that God can open the floodgates of heaven and pour into our lives that of which we have need.
And the third word, “thanksgiving,” carries the concept of grateful language to God. What a great pattern to incorporate into our lives. As we express thankfulness in our talks with God our Father, will not that grateful language carry over in the rest of our conversations?
Jesus Christ definitely understood the concept of taking time to pray. When his days were busy and full, he just got up earlier!
Mark 1:35:
And in the morning, rising up a great while before day, he went out, and departed into a solitary place, and there prayed.
And Jesus Christ understood the power of prayer, the desire of God to bless His children.
Matthew 18:19:
Again I say unto you, That if two of you shall agree on earth as touching any thing that they shall ask, it shall be done for them of my Father which is in heaven.
Mark 11:24:
Therefore I say unto you, What things soever ye desire, when ye pray, believe that ye receive them, and ye shall have them.
John 11:22:
But I know, that even now, whatsoever thou wilt ask of God, God will give it thee.
John 14:13:
And whatsoever ye shall ask in my name, that will I do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son.
John 14:14:
If ye shall ask any thing in my name, I will do it.
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