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Why Should We Pray Incessantly?

Posted on January 17, 2013 by ideacreamanuela

Pray incessantly. In connection with

everything give thanks.

1 Thessalonians 5:17, 18.

THE prophet Daniel had the custom of

praying to God three times a day. He

would kneel at the window of his roof

chamber, which faced the city of

Jerusalem, and offer up his petitions.

(1 Kings 8:46-49; Daniel 6:10) Even

when a royal decree prohibited petitionsto anyone but Darius, the Median king, Daniel did not waver for one moment. Whether it

endangered his life or not, this man of prayer entreated Jehovah incessantly. How did

Jehovah view Daniel? When the angel Gabriel came to answer one of Daniels prayers, he

described the prophet as someone very desirable or a man greatly beloved. ( Daniel 9:20-

23; The New English Bible) Over the years, Daniels prayers evidently resulted in a close

relationship with his God, a fact recognized even by Darius.Daniel 6:16.

Build Friendship Through Prayer

Would you like Jehovah to think of you as his friend? He spoke of the patriarch Abraham in

that way. (Isaiah 41:8; James 2:23) Jehovah wants us to develop that sort of relationship with

him. He actually invites us to draw close to him. (James 4:8) Should not that invitation make

us reflect on the unique provision of prayer?

Just dealing with pressures of everyday life can absorb so much of our attention that we do

not make an effort to speak to God. Jesus encouraged his disciples to pray continually, and

he himself did that. (Matthew 26:41) Appropriate moments for private prayer present

themselves many times each day as we face problems, encounter temptations, and makedecisions. (Ephesians 6:18)

How glad we can be that God puts no limit on how long or how often we may talk to him in

prayer! Nehemiah quickly uttered a silent prayer before making a petition to the king of

Persia. (Nehemiah 2:4, 5) Jesus also offered a brief prayer when he requested that Jehovah

give him the power to resurrect Lazarus. (John 11:41, 42) Hannah, on the other hand, prayed

extendedly before Jehovah when she poured out her heart to him. (1 Samuel 1:12, 15, 16)

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Our personal prayers can be brief or lengthy according to the need and the circumstances.

Pray IncessantlyWhy?

Regular prayer is essential to ourfaith. After illustrating the need always to pray and not to

give up, Jesus asked: When the Son of man arrives, will he really find the faith on the

earth? (Luke 18:1-8) Meaningful, heartfelt prayer builds faith. When the patriarch Abraham

was getting old and had yet to produce offspring, he spoke with God about the matter. In

reply, Jehovah first asked him to look up to the heavens and count the stars, if he possibly

could. Then God reassured Abraham: So your seed will become. The result? Abraham put

faith in Jehovah; and he proceeded to count it to him as righteousness. (Genesis 15:5, 6) If

we open our hearts to Jehovah in prayer, accept his assurances from the Bible, and obey

him, he will strengthen our faith. Prayer can also help us to handle problems. Is our lot in life

burdensome and the circumstances we face harsh? The Bible tells us: Throw your burdenupon Jehovah himself, and he himself will sustain you. Never will he allow the righteous one

to totter. (Psalm 55:22)

Another reason to draw closer to Jehovah by means of prayer is that he, in turn, draws closer

to us. (James 4:8) When we open up our heart to Jehovah in prayer, do we not sense that he

is interested in our needs and tenderly cares for us? We experience Gods love in a very

personal way. Jehovah has not delegated to anyone else the responsibility of listening to each

and every prayer that his servants direct to him as their heavenly Father. (Psalm

66:19, 20; Luke 11:2)

Persevere in Prayer Despite Shortcomings

For our prayers to be favorably heard, we must not reject the counsel of Gods Word.

Whatever we ask we receive from him, wrote the apostle John, because we are observing

his commandments and are doing the things that are pleasing in his eyes. ( 1 John 3:22)

What might happen, though, when our conduct falls short of Gods standards? Adam and Eve

hid themselves after their sin in the garden of Eden. We too may feel inclined to hide fromthe face of Jehovah and stop praying. (Genesis 3:8) Some of us might feel unworthy to pray

because of spiritual weakness or because we have lapsed into wrongdoing. But this is

precisely when we need to take full advantage of the provision of prayer. Jonah ran away

from his assignment. But out of his distresses, Jonah called out to Jehovah, and He

proceeded to answer him. Out of the belly of Sheol, Jonah cried for help, and Jehovah heard

his voice. (Jonah 2:2) Jonah prayed, Jehovah answered his prayer, and Jonah recovered

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spiritually.

Pray Regularly

Pressures and problems are multiplying in these last days, marked by critical times hard to

deal with. (2 Timothy 3:1) And trials can easily preoccupy our minds. Our incessant prayers,

however, will help us to keep our lives on a spiritual course despite persistent problems,

temptations, and discouragement. Our daily prayers to Jehovah can provide the vital support

we need.

Jehovah, the Hearer of prayer, is never too busy to listen to us. (Psalm 65:2) Let us never

be too busy to talk to him. Our friendship with God is the most precious possession we have.

May we never take it for granted.

THE WATCHTOWER, 9/15 2003

See also: Draw Close to God in Prayer, available for download at www.jw.org

Photo Credit: photoalto Royalty-Free

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