“Pray earnestly to the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest” –Jesus–
Intimacy
Prayer is the voice of Faith – our primary means of communication with our loving Heavenly Father. Prayers of Communion build our intimacy with God as get to know His heart and mind. We understand that His loving kindness is better than life (Psalms 63:1-3).
Anchor
Our intimacy in prayer becomes the anchor from which we can move on to prayers of intercession and even Spiritual Warfare. The Christian handles spiritual warfare resting in His identity in Christ. He learns to be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might. He does not depend on his own strength. Neither does he lose heart because of his sins or past.
Put On
The devil studies us and knows our strengths and weaknesses. Our hope against the “wiles of the devil” (“methodia” in Greek means his well thought out schemes) is to put on the full armor of God daily (Ephesians 6). Note that the final piece of the armor is prayer. The Christian learns to commune with Him, receive His grace and resist the devil. (James 4:2). Our God is strong and mighty to deliver us from the snares of the enemy. When the Body of Christ stands united, God covers us with His blessings and divine protection.
Prayer Is Primary
In Mark 1, we read about the our Lord’s ministry of meeting, teaching, healing… The hidden secret for His ministry was anchored in the early morning prayer times (Mark 1:35). Note that this takes time and effort. The phrases “continue earnestly in prayer” (Colossians 4:2), “laboring fervently in prayer” (Colossians 4:12) indicate that prayers take time and effort along with much patience. We endeavor as we realize that “prayer is the primary work” in life and ministry.
Let’s pray without ceasing!
– Pastor Jomy Anthony
