Give Constant Attention to Prayer - Make It the Business of Life - Be Devoted To It

It is difficult to itemize or classify Paul’s praying. It is so comprehensive, so complete and lengthy, and yet so minute, that it is no easy task to do. Paul teaches us so much about prayer in his teachings. He specifically enforces the duty and necessity of prayer on the Church, but that which was better for Paul and better for us is that he himself prayed much and demonstrates his own teaching. He practiced what he preached. He put to the test the exercise of prayer which he urged on the people of his day.

To the Church at Rome he plainly and specifically stated with earnestness his habit of praying. This he wrote to those Roman believers:

“For God is my witness, whom I serve with my spirit in the Gospel of His Son, that without ceasing I make mention of you always in my prayers.”

Paul not only prayed for himself. He made it a practice to praying for others. He was preeminently an intercessor, as he urged intercessory prayer on others, so he interceded himself for others as well himself.

He begins that remarkable Epistle to the Romans in the spirit of prayer: He closes it with this solemn charge:

“Now I beseech you, brethren, for the Lord Jesus Christ’s sake, and for the love of the Spirit, that ye strive with me in your prayers to God for me.”

But this is not all. In the very heart of that Epistle, he commands “Continuing instant in prayer.” That is, give constant attention to prayer. Make it the business of life. Be devoted to it. Just what he did himself, for Paul was a standing example of the doctrine of prayer which he advocated and pressed on the people.

In his Epistles to the Thessalonians, how all-inclusive and wonderful the praying! He says in writing his First Epistle to this Church:

“We give thanks to God always for you, making mention of you in my prayers; remembering without ceasing your work of faith, and labor of love, and patience of hope.”

It is worth while to read his words to this same Church of true believers further on:

“Night and day praying exceedingly that we might see your face, and might perfect that which is lacking in your faith. Now God himself direct our way unto you. And the Lord make you to increase and abound in love one toward another, even as we do toward you, to the end he may establish your hearts un-blamable in holiness before God, even our Father.”

And this sort of praying for these Thessalonian Christians is in direct line with that closing prayer for the believers in this Epistle, where he records that striking prayer for their entire sanctification:

“And the very God of peace sanctify you wholly; and I pray God your whole spirit, and soul and body be preserved blameless unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.”

How Paul did pray for those early Christians! They were in his mind and on his heart, and he was continually at it, “night and day praying exceedingly.” Oh, if we had a large number of preachers in these days of superficial faithfulness and in these times of prayerlessness, who were given completely to praying for their churches as, Paul did for those, to whom he ministered in