The Importance of Praying

Recently, I read a great booklet by JC Ryle entitled, 'A Call to Prayer'. It's a short 33-page booklet, but packed with pure dynomite. The following is basically an outline of what Ryle states in the last section, with some of my own notes added in:

"By prayer the Christian can open his heart to God, as to a friend, and obtain fresh testimony of God’s friendship to him". – John Bunyan, Prayer

Importance of Praying with Reverence and Humility
1). Beware of rushing into God’s presence with carelessness.
Ecclesiastes 5:2 - Do not be hasty in word or impulsive in thought to bring up a matter in the presence of God. For God is in heaven and you are on the earth; therefore let your
words be few. KJV
2). Confession of sin and turning away from sin is necessary for God to ‘hear’ – Psalm 66:18
3). Consider your prayer posture – 1 Kings 8:22; 54 - What interesting observation do you
make comparing these two verses, the beginning of Solomon’s prayer vs. the end of the prayer? Consider also Daniel 6:10.

Importance of Praying Spiritually
1). Labor to always have the direct help of the Holy Spirit. Romans 8:26.
2). Strive to pray ‘biblically’ – within the compass of God’s Word.
2). Beware of ‘form’, vain repetition and scripted prayers. Matthew 6:7.

Importance of Praying with Regularity
1). Just as you allot time to eating, sleeping, exercise, etc… so also allot time to prayer. Daniel,
the man of integrity in the Old Testament took regular breaks during the day for the sole purpose of prayer. Daniel 6:10.
2). Requires discipline of time (time management!). JC Ryle says, "Disorder is eminently one of
the fruits of sin… speak to God in the morning, before you speak to the world; and speak to God at night after you have done with the world".

Importance of Praying with Perseverance
1). Never give up!
2). What did the Apostle Paul say? "Continue in prayer" (Colossians 4:2) and "pray without
ceasing" (1 Thessalonians 5:17).
3). What did Jesus say? "Men ought always to pray and not to faint" (Luke 18:1).
4). The enemies of perseverance in prayer are sickness, sleepiness, weariness, important
business.
5). Do not neglect your soul. Make no excuses. Press forward - persevering in prayer.

Importance of Praying with Fervency
1). James 1:17 states it best: "The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much".
2). Fervency is achieved by ‘crying, knocking, wrestling, laboring, striving’.
3). Of Jesus, the Hebrew writer states "in the days of his flesh, when he had offered up prayers
and supplications with strong crying and tears"
4). John Bunyan – "When the affections are indeed engaged in prayer, then the whole man is
engaged…"

The Importance of Praying with Faith
1). We should cultivate the habit of pleading promises in our prayers (not the ‘name it and
claim it’ or ‘blab it and grab it’ kind of pleading and presumption we find in the word-of-faith movement).
2). We should cultivate the habit of expecting answers to our prayers. Do we believe God? See
Acts 12:15.

The Importance of Praying with Boldness
1). We have access to the throne of grace – to come ‘boldly’ to receive mercy and find grace in
time of need. Hebrews 4:16.
2). We hardly plead with boldness as we might, because we do not realize our privileges as a
‘child of God’!

The Importance of Praying with Fulness
1). Private devotions of many are painfully scanty and limited; People seem to want little from
God. They seem to have little to confess, little to ask for, and little to thank Him for. "They have not because they ask not"
2). We should not be content with ‘general prayers’. Pray ‘general’, get general answers. Be
specific and detailed. Answers are easier to see that way!
3). Hide no secrets, hold nothing back, share your heart.

The Importance of Praying for Others
1). Intercessory prayers help us fight our selfish tendencies.
2). Intercessory prayers enlarges our sympathies and expands our hearts.
3). Intercessory prayers benefit the Church.

The Importance of Praying with Thankfulness
1). Is it true prayer in which thankfulness has no part?
2). Philippians 4:6 says, "Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication
with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God."
3). Surely we should never open our lips in prayer without blessing God for that free grace by
which we live, and for that lovingkindness which endures forever.