ODJ: never stop praying

January 20, 2016 

READ: Colossians 4:2-6 

Devote yourselves to prayer with an alert mind and a thankful heart (v.2).

Just over a year ago, I made a New Year’s resolution to be faithful in prayer. The New Year came and I was off to a good start. But as the days got busier, I struggled to stay focused during my morning prayers, and my body began begging for more sleep. Yawn.

Let’s face it—keeping a consistent prayer life isn’t easy. But it’s vital.

Satan delights in busyness that leads us to become distracted, careless, and prayerless! When we go to God in prayer, however, the devil knows we’re gaining strength against him, so he opposes that practice with all his might.

Perhaps that’s why the apostle Paul wrote: “Never stop praying” (1 Thessalonians 5:17), “keep on praying” (Romans 12:12), and “devote yourselves to prayer with an alert mind and a thankful heart” (Colossians 4:2). All of these commands contain the idea of persevering in our prayer life.

If you’re like me, you’re eager to regain the momentum of a consistent prayer life. Here’s where we can start: (1) Ask God for an “alert mind and a thankful heart” (Colossians 4:2). (2) Start a prayer calendar and set a prayer focus for each day.

We can also gain inspiration from the prayer requests Paul lifted up in Colossians. Like him, we can pray for ministry workers and missionaries (v.3); for the opportunity to share God’s story in our workplace, school, country, or other parts of the world; and for other believers in Jesus—specifically for their testimony before unbelievers (vv.5-6).

God provides all that we need to persevere in prayer and experience His amazing power. May we seek to spend time with Him today by the power of the Holy Spirit—resisting distractions and growing in faith.

—Poh Fang Chia

365-day-plan: Genesis 32:1-33:16