We have all heard this before, maybe we have even voiced it ourselves: “All we can do now is pray.”
Many times this is an expression of last resort.
We are good at recognizing and meeting the physical needs in our lives; need to tend to family, to keep appointments, to take a shower, to solve our problems, etc. But do we really recognize the need for prayer as a first, during, and last resort? We make our solutions the priority and not prayer. We place going to God in prayer as our last resort instead of our immediate reaction.
Charles Spurgeon once said, “Prayer meetings are the throbbing machinery of the church.” As the body of Christ, we should be driven to our knees. When we pray and also join together in prayer, we are fulfilling His calling to be witnesses and we realize how utterly dependent we are on His power.
The early believers in Acts 4 understood the priority and need of prayer. And, because of their faithfulness in going to God first, they experienced many signs, miracles, and opportunities to see God expand their mission. Acts 4:24 says, “When they heard this, they raised their voices together in prayer to God.” And Acts 4:31 is a beautiful tribute: “After they prayed, the place where they were meeting was shaken. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and spoke the word of God boldly.”
We want our mission, our lives, expanded, inspired, and anointed. Know that we need to prioritize our prayer life. This means implementing prayer as a first response in our everyday lives. We need to continue to pray, pray often, pray deeply, pray dependently—as your life depends on it.