How Vital Is Prayer for You?

“So the Twelve called a meeting of all the believers. They said, ‘We apostles should spend our time teaching the word of God, not running a food program. And so, brothers, select seven men who are well respected and are full of the Spirit and wisdom. We will give them this responsibility. Then we apostles can spend our time in prayer and teaching the word.’” (Acts 6:2-4 NLT)

Please note a couple of things about the above verses. First, there were leaders (the Apostles) and those who listened to them (the believers). The highest priority for the leaders was prayer, study of God’s Word, and teaching God’s Word. The highest priority of the believers was to devote themselves to learning God’s Word, primarily from the Apostles because there weren’t many written texts available, and the likelihood is that not many of the believers could read.

Some of the Apostles wrote down the words of Jesus, which became their instruction guide for the new Church, then others – Matthew, Mark, Luke, John, Peter, James, and Paul primarily, wrote the Gospels and letters as the Church grew and expanded.

Notice in the verses above, the “servants” who would lead the “food” ministry, weren’t slackers. These were the proverbial “cream of the crop.” These men were students of the Word and men of prayer. See Acts 7 for an example of the quality of these “servants.” But what I’m getting at is simply this, the reason the Apostles wanted others to lead the food ministry wasn’t because it was below them, it was because it robbed them of time they needed to devote to the absolute necessity of prayer and teaching God’s Word.

The wonderful church I attend and to which I’ve committed myself as a servant of the Living God, makes those of us who serve feel like we’re very special. That’s because, first, we are, not because we individually are exceptional, but our service is invaluable to the Body, just as those who served in the Food Ministry. But secondly and ideally, our service grows out of our personal ministry of the Word and prayer, largely guided and encouraged by our Pastors who are students of God’s Word and men of God committed to prayer. (Do you get the idea I love my church? 😊)

Francis Chan wrote: “If prayer isn’t vital for your church, then your church isn’t vital.” Our church is vital to our community for the same reason the first century church was vital to their community – the leaders of the church were students of God’s Word and devoted to prayer. Does that seem too simple?

How about this – you’re alive because you breathe air. Take away your air supply and it’s “bye bye” for you. Are you getting the picture? Reading, studying, learning, and sharing God’s Word are vital, but it’s ministry to us couldn’t be accomplished without the oxygen of prayer. Prayer is literally our lifeline to God. Take away prayer and you take away our usefulness.

Without prayer I literally cannot function. As my memory challenges heighten, so does my need of moment-by-moment communion with my Father. Until prayer is your lifeline, your vital connection to your heavenly Father, your ministry will be stunted and ineffective. If you’re studying hard and learning all the right things, but leaning on the energy of the flesh to share it with others, it will be bland, pointless, and powerless.

God’s Word is so much more than a collection of information, it is God’s window to our life, the pathway over which we have a ministry. No God’s Word, no ministry. And without prayer we’ll not correctly understand God’s Word. That’s how vital prayer is.

Food for thought.

Blessings, Ed 😊