Christians have the great privilege of coming boldly before the throne of grace and talking with God. This communion between us and God is called prayer. That believers have the ear of God and are invited to cast their cares upon the Lord because He cares for them is the most remarkable of all blessings. Yet, prayer is one of the most neglected disciplines of Christians in our day. J.C. Ryle once said: “Yes: few pray! It is just one of the things assumed as a matter of course, but seldom practiced; a thing which is everybody’s business, but in fact hardly anybody performs.” If this assessment can be made of our age as well, what are the consequences of a prayerless Christianity? Is the church’s mission suffering today from a lack of prayer? Are Christians stifled in their holiness because few are asking God for help in sanctification?
Almost universally, people complain of the busyness of their lives. Families are pulled away from the dinner table to sports practices, music lessons, and a variety of other activities. We have the best of modern conveniences, and yet we run ourselves ragged with never-ending “appointments.” The restlessness of our age is an indication of priorities gone wrong. We spend time doing what we value the most, but prayer is not at the top of the list. We do have time, however, to openly talk about the many problems our society faces. Social media is not in want of Christians who use their time to express to the world their disillusionment with the “state of things.” Yes, we are living in distressing times. From the moral bankruptcy of society to the spiritual decline of the church, the problems are endless. Everyone is speaking, but who is taking these things to the Lord in prayer? If Ryle was at all correct in his assessment a century and a half ago, what can be said of our times? Is “hardly anybody” praying to our God of all deliverance?
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