Do you really long for the courage to believe that deliverance from a prayerless life is possible for you, and may become a reality? Then you must learn the great lesson that such a deliverance is included in the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, that it is one of the blessings of the New Covenant which God Himself will impart to you through Christ Jesus.
Many a one has turned to his prayer closet under bitter self-accusation that he has prayed so little, and has resolved for the future to live in a different manner. Yet no blessing has come. There was not the strength to continue faithful, and the call to repentance had no power, because his eyes had not been fixed on the Lord Jesus. If he had only understood, he would have said: "Lord, You see how cold and dark my heart is. I know that I must pray, but I feel I cannot do so. I lack the urgency and desire to pray."
He did not know that at that moment the Lord Jesus, in His tender love, was looking down upon him and saying: "You cannot pray; you feel that all is cold and dark. Why not give yourself over into My hands? Only believe that I am ready to help you in prayer. I long greatly to shed abroad My love in your heart, so that you, in the consciousness of weakness, may confidently rely on Me to bestow the grace of prayer. Just as I will cleanse you from all other sins, so also will I deliver from the sin of prayerlessness—only do not seek the victory in your own strength. Bow before Me as one who expects everything from his Savior. Let your soul keep silence before Me, however sad you feel your state to be. Be assured of this—I will teach you how to pray."
In His infinite love, He longs to have communion with you every moment, and to keep you in the enjoyment of His fellowship. Believe with your whole heart: there is deliverance from the sin of prayerlessness. "If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness" (1 John 1:9). In His blood and grace there is complete deliverance from all unrighteousness, and from all prayerlessness.
Maintaining Deliverance
How may the experience of deliverance be maintained? By daily, close fellowship with the Lord Jesus. Give Him time in the prayer closet to reveal Himself in His ever-present nearness, as the Eternal and Almighty One, the Eternal Love who watches over you. He longs to have fellowship with us every moment of the day, and to keep us in the enjoyment of that fellowship.
This ought to be explained to every new convert: "The Lord loves you so, that He would have you near Him without a break, that you may have experience of His love." This is what every believer who has felt his powerlessness for a life of prayer, of obedience, and of holiness, must learn. This alone will give us power as intercessors, to conquer the world, and to win souls out of it for our Lord. |
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