The Necessity of Prayer

"In return for my love they accuse me, but I give myself to prayer." Psalm 109:4

It frightens me sometimes how often my response to difficulty and criticism is self-reliance. When my back is up against a wall, when I feel misunderstood, when the plan falls apart, I frequently look only into my own store room of gifts and talents to see what I can offer to fix the situation. It pains me to admit this because there is nowhere in scripture that reflects that philosophy. God does not help those who help themselves, he helps the helpless. He does not reward the healthy, he heals the sick. He does not elevate the working, he fixes the broken. My deepest desire would be to stop looking to myself to fix things and expect God to honor it. I want to have the same attitude of the Psalmist, to give myself to prayer in all circumstances. Prayer is the only godly response to the helplessness of life. As Charles Spurgeon wrote, "A prayerless soul is a Christless soul." Prayer is not merely an option for Christian living, it is the option for Christian living.

Lord Jesus, take away my selfish self-reliant soul and replace it with a soul who lives and dies by the power of prayer and communion with you!