CONSISTENT PRAYER

CONSISTENT PRAYER!

Ps 5:1-3

5 Give ear to my words, O Lord, consider my meditation.

2 Hearken unto the voice of my cry, my King, and my God: for unto thee will I pray.

3 My voice shalt thou hear in the morning, O Lord; in the morning will I direct my prayer unto thee, and will look up.

Ps 55:17

17 Evening, and morning, and at noon, will I pray, and cry aloud: and he shall hear my voice.

The regular times of prayer were the third (morning sacrifice), sixth, and ninth hours (evening sacrifice). So prayer was commonly offered at 9am, noon, and 3pm. When threatened regarding his praying, Daniel “kneeled upon his knees three times a day, and prayed, and gave thanks before his God, as he did aforetime.”

The common posture for praying was standing. In Luke 18 we read that two men went up into the Temple to pray. One was a Pharisee and the other was a hated Publican. Both stood! The Pharisee stood near and the Publican stood “afar off.” Their positions were actually reversed in God’s eyes. The one standing afar off was made nigh by his prayer while the other was rebuffed for his pride.

The more urgent the need, the more humble the posture of prayer. First the one praying would pray standing, then kneeling, and finally prostration. The hands would be lifted up and spread out in emptiness and pleading. “Hear the voice of my supplications, when I cry unto thee, when I lift up my hands toward thy holy oracle.” Ps 28:2

Discipline will make our prayer consistent. Circumstance will make our prayer urgent!

Dear Lord, let me be a man of regular and consistent prayer so that when circumstances make my prayer more urgent I will not fumble clumsily for words nor approach you like a stranger. AMEN