Life and Prayer
Our life has a great influence on our prayer;
just as in the same way our prayer influences our life. The entire life of man is a continuous prayer, to nature or to the world, to provide for his wants,
and make him happy. This natural prayer and desire can be as strong in a man who also prays to God that the words of prayer which his mouth utters cannot be heard. God cannot at times hear the prayer of your lips, because the desires of your heart after the world cry out to Him much more strongly and loudly.
The life exercises a mighty fadgenee Over prayer.
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A worldly life, a self-seeking life, makes prayer —
powerless and an answer impossible. With many Christians there is a conflict between the life and prayer, and the life holds the upper hand. But prayer can also exercise a mighty influence over the life. If I give myself entirely to God in prayer, then prayer can conquer the life of the flesh and sin. The entire life may be brought under the control of prayer. Prayer can change and renew the whole life, because prayer calls in and receives the Lord Jesus and the Holy Spirit, to purify and sanctify the life.
Many think that they must, with their defective spiritual life, work themselves up to pray more.
They do not understand that only in proportion
LIFE AND PRAYER rT
as the spiritual life is strengthened can the prayer-life increase. Prayer and life are inseparably connected. What do you think? Which has the stronger influence over you, prayer for five or ten minutes, or the whole day spent in the desires of the world? Let it not surprise you if your prayers are not answered. The reason may easily lie here; your life and your prayer are at strife with each other; your heart is more wholly devoted to living than to prayer. Learn this great lesson: My prayer must rule my whole life. What I request from God in prayer is not decided in five or ten minutes. I must learn to say: ‘‘I have prayed with my whole heart.’’? What I desire from God must really fill my heart the whole day, then the way is open for a certain answer.
Oh, the sacredness and power of prayer, if it takes possession of the heart and life! It keeps one constantly in fellowship with God. We can then literally say, ‘‘I wait on Thee al! the day.”’ Let us be careful to consider not only the length of the time we spend with God in prayer, but the power with which our prayer takes possession of our whole life.