Neville Turley

“And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the Lord’s people.”Ephesians 6:18 (NIV)

Our God is available to us 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. That biblical assurance can lead us to taking God for granted and neglecting our prayer life. To stay in close communion with God we need to cultivate a disciplined prayer life.

Some of us lead busy lives and it is a real struggle to fit in everything we need to do in our daily schedule. None of us should be so busy that we put our prayers to God on a back burner. Bishop Bertram Pollock (1863-1943), when planning his daily schedule set out specific times for prayer to which he rigidly adhered. Anyone who sought him during these times was told, “Sorry the Bishop has a prior appointment with God”.

Since God should be the first priority in our life, shouldn’t we set aside a fixed time for our daily talk with him?

It does not matter what time you choose. Our Lord prayed in the morning, during the day and at night.  Nor does it matter whether we pray kneeling, standing or lying down.  Our Lord prayed in all these positions. When, how or where we pray is of small consequence.  Our prayers may be long or brief arrow prayers. What is vital is that we open our heart to God earnestly and sincerely without hypocrisy. (Matthew 6:5)  God knows what is in our heart but he wants to hear it from us.’

Our verse for today exhorts us to pray in the Spirit on all occasions. Our only way to God is through Jesus himself. “For through him we have access to the Father by one spirit.” (Ephesians 2:18)

By God’s grace Christians, enabled by the Spirit pray in Jesus name to the Father.  We can approach the throne of mercy with confidence knowing that the God of Heaven is our loving father and fully attentive to our prayers.

Prayer: Heavenly Father bless each one of us.  Grant that the fruit of the Spirit may enrich our lives and empower us to share your love through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen