How difficult is it to set time to pray?
Or to have a prayerful attitude, "never
ceasing to pray" through the day?
We are tempted to jump into the doing
part, the activity of service itself.
And leave the praying to others.They
pray and we do. Isn't that ideal?
It isn't, by Tozer's standard.
Not to pray is "a deadly snare".
Why? I quote Tozer again:
"It is prayer that gives power to all these
things. Singing, giving, entertaining,teaching,
working and serving: those are all good things
if we set them aflame by prayer."
Doing them without prayers and they end up
"wood, hay and stubble in the day of Jesus Christ."
Tozer reminds, "The true success of any church
is going to be prayer."
He didn't end here. Stronger words to come:
"Whoever doesnt' practice prayer at least
in some degree of regularity should never be
accepted in any church as a deacon or elder.
"Deacons and elders should be picked because
they are spiritual people, and if they are
not praying they are not spiritual people.
"No man should ever sit and discuss the
affairs of the church, a holy body, unless
he is a prayingman.
"If he hasn't prayed, he has no right to
make decisions.
"Oh, friends, if we want this church to be
a rich, fruitful, G0d-filled church, we're
going to have to accept the Holy Ghost's
philosophy: in everything by prayer'.
"We're going to have to accept the Holy
Ghost's technique: 'In everything by prayer.'
(so) that the power of God and the grace of
God and the Holy Spirit of God may be on what
we're trying to do."
Yes. Though it requires great discipline,
and we may have relapses, we cannot deny that
Tozer was right: we can't delegate prayer. We
have to do the praying ourselves for the work
we are to do. Or do them in the flesh, and we
work in vain.
