Focus: Why Not Pray?

Text: Act.9:11

"Behold, he prayeth."

Dr. Alexis Carrel is a medical doctor who won a Nobel Prize in physiology. Concerning the subject of prayer, he says, "Prayer is the most powerful form of energy that one can generate. The influence of prayer on the human mind and body is as demonstrable as that of secreting glands. Its results can be measured in terms of increased buoyancy, greater intellectual vigour, moral stamina and a deeper understanding of human relationships.

"Prayer is indispensable to the fullest development of personality. Only in prayer do we achieve that complete harmonious assembly of mind, body and spirit which gives the frail human need its unshakeable strength. When we pray we link ourselves with the inexhaustible motive that spins the universe."

At the chapel of the National Assembly of the United States of America, someone was called upon to pray, and he prayed thus:

"Heavenly Father, we come before you today to ask your forgiveness and to seek your direction and guidance. We know your word says, "Woe to those who call evil good," but that's exactly what we have done. We have lost our spiritual equilibrium and inverted our values - eroded our values. We confess that. We ridiculed the absolute truth of your word and called it pluralism. We have worshipped other gods and called it multi-culturalism, we have endorsed perversion and called it an alternative lifestyle. We have exploited the poor and called it the lottery. We have neglected the needy and called it self-preservation. We have rewarded laziness and called it welfare. We have killed our un-born and called it a choice. We have shot abortionists and called it justifiable. We have neglected to discipline our children and called it building self-esteem. We have abused power and called it political savvy. We have coveted our neighbour's possessions and called it ambition. We have polluted the air..."

Prayer is a medium by which God enters our space to manifest His presence and demonstrate His power, and unveil His glory, for the good of us all.

God sends one of His servants to go and minister to Saul of Tarsus, and He tells him where to find him, and also informs him what Saul was doing at the moment. God says to his servant, "Behold, he is praying." Saul is praying following immediately his spiritual arrest and great commissioning by the Lord Jesus Christ. 

Divine encounter with God always results in a life of prayer. No one remains the same after meeting with God. The supernatural effect of it is that we begin to pray.

The psalmist declares, "For my love they are my adversaries: but I give myself unto prayer" (Ps.109:4). Saul is found praying, and the psalmist is totally giving himself to praying. Through prayer we achieve divine effects. The efficacy of prayer is quite astounding and matchless. Through prayer the believer experiences spiritual metamorphosis. May it be said of you by God, "Behold, he is praying!" If prayer is this essential and efficacious, then why not pray?

by Bishop Moses E. Peter